Lower back, hips and shoulders

Warrior II: Hands on Hips

Removes shoulder demand so you can focus on maintaining spinal alignment and building leg strength, making this pose more accessible for sensitive shoulders.

How to do it

1. 1

   Take your wide stance and set hands on hips

   Front foot forward, back foot turned in, then place both palms on the top of your pelvis. Both hands stay there for the whole pose.

2. 2

   Use your hands to feel your pelvis level

   Your hands tell you straight away if one side lifts or the pelvis tips. Level it under your hands before you go any further.

3. 3

   Bend the front knee, pelvis level under your hands

   Sink only as far as you can go without your hands reporting a change. With no arm work to think about, all of your attention can sit here.

4. 4

   Hold for 30 to 60 seconds on each side

   Shorten the stance if it becomes hard work, or rest a hand on a chair back for steadiness.

What to watch for

Leaning your weight into the hands and using your arms as a prop. The hands are there to give you information, not to hold you up.

Ways to adjust it

• Short stance
• Chair

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Warrior II versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

• Warrior II: Back to Wall
• Warrior II: Chair Supported
• Warrior II: Chair Under Front Thigh
• Warrior II: Classic
• Warrior II: Short Stance

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.