Airplane Pose (Warrior III / Virabhadrasana III)
Did you know that November is Aviation History Month? It’s estimated that there are 39,000 planes currently on the planet, and some 150,000 throughout history - that’s a lot of planes! It’s incredible to think that over a century ago, in 1903, the first airplane took flight - so wild! We’ve certainly come a long way since it’s inception by the Wright Brothers, but it still blows my mind to think that somewhere along the way, we learned how to fly. It started as an idea, and eventually became reality. Humans - our bodies and our minds - amaze me each and every day. And though we won’t be jet-setting any time soon, we can use our Yoga Airplane to take us to faraway places, whenever we have the urge for a change of scenery, and that is pretty amazing in itself!
Picture 2: Two children are standing in a field surrounded by Fall trees and leaves on the ground. Both children are wearing various colours of warm clothing. Their arms are outstretched. The child on the left is balancing on one foot, with the toes of their other foot behind them. The child on the right is in the same position, though their back knee is bent and foot is raised off the ground.
We are exploring the element of AIR in the Virtual Studio to kick off the month of November, so be on the lookout for those!
There’s something so magical about being in the air. There’s the anticipation of going somewhere new and different. There’s the physical aspect of defying gravity, a little cheeky moment of what feels a little like rebellion. And there’s the gift of fresh perspective that it brings as you slowly see your familiar home shrink before your eyes. I feel like our yoga practice can also offer us these teachings, maybe in a different way, but our beautiful imaginations can certainly make it happen!
Picture 3: A parent and child are standing in a field surrounded by green trees in Summer clothing. They are holding hands and balancing on one foot, with their lifted leg outstretched behind them. There is another child sitting on the grass and another adult standing in the background.
There are a few different ways to turn our bodies into airplanes - truly, the sky is the limit - but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll focus on virabhadrasana III today! What I love about this pose is that it’s challenging but accessible, and it’s always a fun pose to do together (as in Picture 3) as a family pose. It’s a shape that requires our entire attention, especially when supporting others, but once you find the sweet spot, you really are flying!
Benefits
This pose has a lot going on, even with it’s fairly staright-forward shape. Airplane pose can help to strengthen our ankles, legs abdominals, shoulders, and back; find our balance, stability, and grounding; improve posture; and offers a sense of weightlessness through focus, steady breathing, and determination. It also welcomes a sense of humility, as it’s absolutely okay when we tip over or fall out of the pose, we don’t have far to find our feet back on the ground, and we can get right back into it as we choose. Try the pose with your eyes closed for an extra challenge - that’s a real teaching moment of noticing your body and breath, or in supporting and relying on others when we support one another in it.
Do it!
To take off and catch some air, start in mountain pose or tadasana, standing tall and strong with feet about hip-width distance apart. Reach your arms out wide like a big letter T, and gently lift one foot behind you, tipping the upper half of the body forward as you do so. Allow the back leg and upper body to act as a teeter-totter; as your back leg lifts, your upper body leans further forward, and vice versa. Try it while holding hands or pressing palms together with a loved one for more support, or using a wall or table beside you. It’s important to feel strong throughout the body - I’ve never seen a floppy airplane, and I think we know why! Sometimes we roll our wrists to act as “propellors,” and we make a silly motor sound as we “take-off and fly,” be sure to make it feel as airplane-like as you want to! As shown in picture 2, you can keep your back toes on the ground like the child on the left, or lift them like the child on the right, depending on how you’re feeling that day. As mentioned above, try it with your eyes closed for an added challenge - remember, it’s okay to tip over!
Have Fun!
Airplanes have to be steady to navigate the airways, they balance through the clouds, and they move FAST (passenger planes go up to 500 knots or 930 km/h!) even though it seems quite slow once you’re in the air. So whether you’re jet-setting around the world, traveling across the country, or to an imaginative land far, far away, be sure to include your whole family on your trip! Feel free to tag us in any adventure photos you take on instagram:@appleseedyoga and facebook: @appleseedyogacommunity, and don’t forget to #appleseedyoga!
Happy and safe travels,
Sara