Foundation of a Warrior

You’re supposed to rotate your thighs outward in virabhadrasana II (warrior II), right? But the thigh of the back leg rotates internally in virabhadrasana I (warrior I), doesn’t it? And what about the front leg—is it internally rotated, externally, or neutral? Few instructions in yoga cast students and teachers into more of a muddle than the ones that explain which way to turn the legs and pelvis in warrior poses. The actions of the legs in warrior I and II, you’ll be happy to know, aren’t all that different from each other. It’s the position of the pelvis that really sets these two poses apart.