Four-Way Vision and the Warrior « Staying Alive

In yoga the warrior poses are the most resolute postures, combining strength, flexibility, and balance.  Body and mind are integrated and aligned.  Energy flows into you, through you, and out of you toward what is coming.  At this time of year, when career decisions come down, we all need warrior skills to meet the challenges offered by desperate situations.  One essential principle might be called "Four-Way Vision."

Consider the Warrior II Pose, also called viribhadrasana or Warrior B.  You stand with both feet firmly grounded, one pointing ahead and the other rooted behind; you spread your arms into a T and sink forward, looking straight ahead over the middle finger of your forward hand.  You can feel energy rising up through your feet and legs and shooting along your arms.  Your back and torso stand straight up, as if a steel lightning rod ran from the crown of your head down your spine and into the ground.

Warrior II Pose