Warrior’s Edge Training Grounds
The training grounds are where warriors learn how to face the battles head-on. Where can you grow in your practice today?
Expand Your Knowledge
What are the Training Grounds?
The Training Grounds are where practice becomes study. Here, you’ll explore the deeper layers of yoga through pose guides, breathwork, philosophy, meditation, and more. These teachings expand your knowledge, strengthen your discipline, and give you tools to carry yoga beyond the mat and into everyday life.
Pose Guides
The poses—known as “asanas” in Sanskrit—are a major part of the foundation of your practice, and what most people come to the mat for. In yogic theory, they help you prepare and ready yourself for breathwork (pranayama) and meditation (dhyana), with the ultimate intention to bring ourselves to our highest self at greatest peace (samadhi).
Below, the pose guides are meant to meet you where you are in your practice. Even well-practiced yogis can return to the basics, with these poses listed under the Warrior 1 section. Some of these are still challenging! They increase in challenge as we move to Warrior 2, then even further into Warrior 3. The Peaceful Warrior section covers poses ideal for yin and restoration, but can also be utilized anywhere in your practice.
Warrior 1 (Beginner)
Tree Pose takes the balance you began developing in One-Legged Mountain and gives it shape.
Tree Pose represents rooted growth. Balance does not come from resisting every movement. It comes from creating a foundation strong enough to bend, adjust, and continue reaching upward.
One-Legged Mountain begins with the foundation you built in Mountain Pose and changes one thing.
You lift a foot.
On the Warrior’s Path, One-Legged Mountain represents progression. You have learned how to stand your ground. Now you begin discovering whether you can maintain that strength when part of your foundation disappears.
Halfway Lift is easy to rush past. In a Sun Salutation or vinyasa flow, you may only spend a single inhale here before moving into the next pose. But that brief moment carries an important lesson.
You have folded forward, and now you lift just enough to find length again. Your spine extends. Your chest reaches forward. Your legs remain grounded beneath you.
Forward Fold appears everywhere in yoga. You meet it in Sun Salutations, between standing sequences, as a transition, and as a posture in its own right. Because it is so familiar, it can be easy to mistake simplicity for insignificance.
From standing, you fold toward the earth. Your upper body descends while your legs remain rooted beneath you. The shape asks for both release and support.
Upward Salute begins with one of the simplest actions in yoga. You stand tall and reach your arms overhead.
But the pose is more than lifting your arms. Your feet remain grounded while everything above them reaches upward. Your legs engage. Your spine lengthens. Your chest expands. You create space without abandoning your foundation.
Upward Dog is a pose of lift and expansion. After the strength of Plank and the effort of Chaturanga, this posture asks you to press into the earth and rise.
It is not passive. It is not collapsed. It is active, strong, and deliberate. On the Warrior’s Path, Upward Dog represents the courage to open your heart even after effort. It is the moment where you choose to rise instead of retreat.
Mountain Pose looks simple. You’re just standing. But in yoga, “just standing” is never just anything. Tadasana is the blueprint for every standing posture that follows. It is the foundation beneath Warrior 1, Warrior 2, and every lunge, balance, and transition you will ever take.
Child’s Pose is the place you return to when you need to rest, reflect, or reset. It’s a posture of surrender and grounding. It invites you to fold inward and find safety in stillness. Though often offered as a “break” in active classes, Child’s Pose is far from passive: it teaches you to listen, to breathe, and to reconnect to your center.
Warrior I is the entry point to the entire Warrior’s Path. When you step into this pose, you’re not just lunging — you’re declaring your presence. This is the stance of focus, of intention, of stepping forward even when the ground beneath you feels uncertain. Warrior I trains you to meet resistance head-on and teaches you that balance doesn’t come from rigidity, but from alignment and breath.
Warrior 2 (Intermediate)
Dancer’s Pose asks you to balance while moving in opposing directions. The finished shape can look graceful, but creating it requires strength, mobility, concentration, and patience.
On the Warrior’s Path, Dancer’s Pose represents grace under pressure. Csontrol alone cannot complete the pose. You also have to open, extend, and trust yourself enough to move.
Eagle Pose wraps your body around itself. One leg crosses over the other. One arm wraps beneath the opposite arm. Your knees bend, your center of gravity lowers, and the space your body occupies becomes smaller. Yet the challenge is to create length and stability within that compression.
On the Warrior’s Path, Eagle Pose represents focus. When movement becomes restricted and your balance becomes uncertain, you learn to direct your attention toward what matters and find space within limitation.
Standing Pigeon builds on the balance you have been developing. Your standing leg works harder. Your outer hip on your lifted leg opens more. Your center of gravity drops while your foundation remains limited to a single foot.
On the Warrior’s Path, Standing Pigeon represents composure. The sensation can build quickly, but the challenge is not simply enduring it. You are learning to remain balanced, breathe into resistance, and soften where you can while staying strong where you need to.
Prayer Twist is less a single pose than a movement pattern you will encounter throughout yoga. The temptation is to twist as far as possible. The practice is learning to create space first. On the Warrior’s Path, Prayer Twist represents perspective. You remain grounded in the shape you have already established while learning to view it from another angle.
Triangle Pose is where stability meets spaciousness. On the Warrior’s Path, it teaches you how to expand without losing your base. It is not about collapsing into flexibility. It is about maintaining structure while creating space.
Reverse Warrior begins from the strength of Warrior 2. Your legs remain exactly where the work already is. Your front knee stays bent, your back foot stays grounded, and the foundation beneath you does not change. What changes is your direction.
Three-Legged Dog begins somewhere familiar. Your hands are grounded. Your feet are connected to the earth. Your hips reach back just as they do in Downward Dog. Then one leg rises.
Extended Side Angle grows naturally from Warrior 2. On the Warrior’s Path, Warrior 2 teaches you to claim your space. Extended Side Angle asks you to explore how far you can expand within it without sacrificing the foundation beneath you.
Chair Pose asks you to lower yourself without collapsing, generate power without immediately escaping the discomfort, and remain tall through your upper body while your legs do the heavy work below.
On the Warrior’s Path, Chair Pose represents endurance. You are not charging forward or retreating. You are learning how to stay when staying gets difficult.
Downward Dog is one of the most recognizable shapes in yoga, yet it is far more than a transition pose. It is a reset point, a recalibration, and a place where strength meets length.
In almost every class, you return to Downward Dog again and again. It becomes your home base. On the Warrior’s Path, it represents the discipline of returning to your foundation no matter how far you’ve moved.
Chaturanga is not just a transition. It is a test.
In most vinyasa practices, it appears between Plank and Upward Dog, but when rushed, it becomes sloppy and disconnected. When practiced with intention, it becomes one of the strongest expressions of disciplined strength in yoga.
On the Warrior’s Path, Chaturanga represents controlled descent. It is the warrior lowering into challenge without collapsing.
Crescent Pose is where grounding meets elevation. Unlike Warrior 1, your back heel is lifted, which immediately demands more balance and engagement from your toes. You are not anchored through two flat feet. You are rising from a narrower base.
Warrior II expands on what Warrior I began. If Warrior I is the first step forward, Warrior II is the widening of your stance — the moment where you claim more space and ground yourself in unwavering presence. This pose teaches you to open in two directions at once, stretching your awareness and balance across a wider field.
Warrior 3 (Advanced)
Revolved Half Moon takes the balance of Half Moon and changes the direction of the opening.
On the Warrior’s Path, Revolved Half Moon represents adaptability. You have already learned how to find your center. Now the pose asks whether you can keep finding it while your perspective changes.
Wild Thing begins with control and then asks you to open beyond it. On the Warrior’s Path, it represents freedom. You have built the foundation. You have developed the strength. Now you learn what happens when you trust both enough to move beyond the expected.
Revolved Side Angle builds on the strong foundation of a lunge by introducing rotation. This is not a twist you simply fall into. Your legs and your bottom hand ground you. Your spine lengthens. Then your torso turns across your front leg, asking you to maintain everything you have already built while adding another layer of complexity.
Revolved Triangle is not passive. It is not forgiving. It asks for strength, precision, and patience all at once. On the Warrior’s Path, it represents clarity under tension. It is the warrior who remains composed while navigating opposing forces.
Half Moon Pose builds from the foundation of Triangle and shifts it into balance. You are no longer supported by both feet. One leg roots down while the other lifts. Your body opens wide into space. This is where structure meets instability.
Warrior III is the leap — the transformation of grounding into flight. If Warrior I is the step and Warrior II is the stance, Warrior III is the soaring strike forward. This pose challenges you to balance strength and surrender, stability and expansion. It strips away the extra, leaving only precision, focus, and trust in your own edge.
Peaceful Warrior (restorative)
Savasana is often treated as the reward at the end of practice, but in many ways, it is the practice.
After the strength of Plank, the discipline of Warrior, the fire of Dragon, and the balance of Half Moon, Savasana asks you to stop doing anything and just receive.
This is where effort becomes wisdom.
Butterfly is one of those poses that looks simple on the outside, but reveals endless depth the longer you sit with it. In yin yoga, it’s often a baseline posture — accessible, grounding, and quietly powerful. In a more active practice, it becomes a forward fold that targets the hips and spine. Either way, Butterfly is a reminder that strength isn’t always about force; sometimes it’s about surrender.
Fitness
40 days ago, I hit record on my phone, got down into plank, and started a challenge I honestly wasn’t sure I could finish.
Today, I did.
I still can’t believe it’s over, and I can’t believe even more that I actually completed it. At that, as had been the case since Day 25, I also finished all 465 on time. 30 minutes. Six intervals. Five minutes per interval. No make-ups. No other challenge. Just the monster finally conquered.
Today was the first day crossing over 400 push-ups. I knew, especially after the last three days, that if I could finish these on time, I would be able to accomplish Days 29 and 30.
At that, it was such a huge milestone, and one I’d looked up to for weeks. The first major milestone came when I crossed 100 push-ups on Day 14, then again at 200 on Day 20. Hitting 300 on Day 24 was one of the hardest, but now, sitting at the 400 mark, I feel more confident than at any other point in the challenge that I can do this.
I’ve faced a lot of challenges over the course of this wild 30-Day Push-Up Challenge, but nothing prepared me for the turnaround on Day 25. What started as apprehension turned into my actually thinking, for the first time, that I could get through this.
I did Ascension and Descension throughout the challenge because the 23-minute challenge I did six years ago required them. I was past that now, so I could change the rules if I wanted to.
And I did.
I walked into Day 23 of the 30-Day Push-Up Challenge with a prediction: I was going to surprise myself.
Just like I did six years ago when I tried this for the first time.
I fought through 23 minutes of hell doing Ascension in COVID, and for years, I wondered if I would be able to do the same thing while taking it from a Descension approach instead.
Today, I tested that theory.
I approached Day 21 differently than I did the last time I had an Ascension Day on Day 15.
Instead of hitting the timer and immediately dropping into my first push-up to get it out of the way, I took my sweet-ass time.
That probably would’ve driven Day 1 Andrew crazy, but Day 21 Andrew knew better. He had fought battles in this challenge Day 1 Andrew couldn’t actually yet conceive, and he was going to prove why this challenge was meant for a warrior.
I had to carry twenty-one push-ups into the makeup round, which, on previous days, didn’t feel as impossible as it did today, when I wasn’t sure I could even do one more.
This wasn’t the first time I’d battled difficult moments in my head since starting this challenge. “I don’t want to,” “This is getting hard,” and “Can I really do this?” became staples in my thoughts.
Usually, my body and mind caught up to each other and worked through whatever I faced together.
Today was different.
“I need a Savasana.”
Those were the first words out of my mouth after today’s 30-Day Push-Up Challenge workout.
For a yoga teacher, it felt strangely appropriate. Savasana isn’t just about lying down. It’s about allowing your body and your mind to absorb everything that just happened.
Apparently, I needed that more than I realized.
Today changed my entire view on the 30-Day Push-Up Challenge.
The push-ups didn’t get any easier—I’m not sure they ever will, despite how many I do—but, for the first time, they felt possible.
Going into Day 15, I wasn’t completely sure introducing intervals was the right decision. I hoped it was.
Honestly, I needed it to be.
When I woke up this morning, I was dangerously close to shutting down the whole 30-Day Push-Up Challenge.
Not because I physically couldn’t do another workout, but simply because I didn’t want to.
I questioned my motives, got caught up in my head about no one else doing it with me or caring about the videos, and it all suddenly became a burden I wasn’t sure I wanted to carry. I know I created this and did this to myself, for myself, but today I wondered if any of it was actually worth continuing.
Especially since I’m not even sure I can actually make it to the end yet.
Today was the first day in the 30-Day Push-Up Challenge that I didn’t finish within the allotted time.
When the timer ended, I still had four push-ups left.
Oddly enough, I wasn’t upset. Not because I don’t care about the rules.
But because I’d already decided what the rules were.
Long before this challenge began, I had circled Day 11 in my head. Combined with the slow rise until the challenge really gets tough, mixed with this day being the day you realized just how tough it’s going to be, made me believe it would be the day most people would quit.
The novelty would be gone. The push-ups would finally start to feel heavy. The finish line would still be so far away that it almost wouldn’t seem worth chasing anymore.
Then Day 11 arrived…and I became exactly the person I had predicted.
Today, I failed a push-up for the first time in the 30-Day Push-Up Challenge.
My arms gave out as I was pressing back up, and I collapsed face-first into the floor.
And then I laughed.
Honestly, there was something strangely comforting about it.
Five days in, and I keep waiting for this 30-Day Push-Up Challenge to punch me in the face.
So far, it hasn’t.
That’s not to say the workouts have been effortless. Push-ups and I have never exactly been friends, which is part of the reason I started this challenge in the first place. But Day 5 arrived and…I feel fine.
For now.
I hate push-ups.
An odd thing to say, I know, given the announcement of a 30-day pushup challenge that will take us on a journey of grit, consistency, and community.
So why the hell am I doing this to myself?
Practice
Yoga is more than just the time spent moving on your mat. Sometimes, it’s the hours you spend choosing the perfect mat to land on! Whether you’re looking to deepen or individualize your practice, learn how to develop a habit, or discover more than just the shapes you stuff your body into, the following posts are for you.
Wrist pain is one of the most common concerns I hear from yoga students, regardless of how long they’ve been on the mat. In fact, the longer they’ve practiced with incorrect form or with their attention displaced to their wrists, the more they might complain about how much they hurt.
Instead of asking, "What's wrong with my wrists?" a better question might be whether you’ve prepared them for what you want them to do.
Consider this plus sign: +
Now imagine living your entire life moving only along the vertical line. Forward. Backward. Forward. Backward. That's how most of us move.
Yoga, especially in practices like vinyasa, reminds us that movement isn't just about going forward. Your body deserves to explore every direction.
Whether you’re new to yoga or not, it’s unlikely your wrists work harder anywhere else. Often, that feels confronting, especially if you spend a lot of your time at a computer or not giving your wrists any release.
It might not feel like it, but your wrists aren’t as weak as you think. They’re just being asked to do something they almost never do.
The goal isn't to make your wrists tougher, but rather to prepare them for the work they’re about to do.
I’m a 6-foot-6 yogi, and as strong as my core is from Boat Pose, as many Chaturangas as I do, and even as often as I strength train, I’m liable to throw out my back at any given moment.
Lower back pain is rarely just “one thing.” It’s usually a combination of habits, mechanics, strength imbalances, and sometimes plain bad luck. Let’s take a look at some of the most common complaints behind lower back issues.
Here are a few poses and exercises to help during your next flare-up.
Learn how to build a sustainable home yoga practice that feels supportive, balanced, and burnout-free. Practical tips, mindset shifts, and weekly structure from Warrior’s Edge Yoga.
Finding a yoga mat as a tall person shouldn’t be this hard. This guide breaks down the best extra-long yoga mats on the market from 78” to 85”, including cork, rubber, budget picks, premium options, and tips for choosing the right mat for tall bodies.
Over the centuries, various styles of yoga have developed, each with its unique characteristics and approaches. It can be a little intimidating trying to figure out what’s what and what works best for you, so let’s talk a little about the types of yoga, how long they’ve been around, who’s to credit, and how their popularity compares to the others.
Meditation
One of the most overlooked—and most challenging—aspects of yoga is meditation. Most people think it means a complete removal of thoughts and senses. While meditation aids in stress relief and finding alignment, there’s a lot more that goes into it. This section explores how the practice of meditation can aid you on and off the mat.
People use the words mindfulness and meditation interchangeably all the time.
Good news: They’re not the same thing.
Bad news: They share enough similarities that it’s incredibly easy to confuse them.
Understanding the difference changes what you’re actually trying to accomplish—not just when you sit down to meditate, but every time you step onto your yoga mat or move through your day.
Think of it this way:
“Focus on your breath,” the instructor says as they guide you through a meditation. “Go deeper inward,” they encourage, but your mind is too busy racing through a thousand other thoughts.
Then comes the quiet judgment. The narrator who tells you, “I’m bad at this,” and urges you to quit.
You are not failing at meditation because you can’t stop thinking. In fact, that expectation is the problem.
Meditation is a powerful tool that can help you relax, reduce stress, and improve your overall well-being.
That said, a lot of people find meditation challenging because they struggle to focus. If you're one of those people, never fear, you are far from alone. If you’d like to get into meditation and just aren’t quite sure how, here are some tips to help you get the most out of your practice.
Breathwork
Like meditation, breathwork is often overlooked or skipped in yoga practice. It’s easier to tackle than meditation, if for no other reason than it gives you something to focus on as you work to control your breath in different ways. This type of control is more than just keeping your breath even throughout your practice. There are many forms of breathwork that expand lung capacity, reduce stress, improve sleep, and offer other benefits.
If you’re newer to yoga, “Ujjayi” becomes just another word you don’t understand. You’re moving, you’re trying not to fall out of a pose, and suddenly you’re supposed to control your breathing in a very specific way? And, at that, one that’s often encouraged to “engage,” but rarely comes with any instruction on how to do so?
Like most things in yoga, however, once it clicks, your Ujjayi breath becomes one of the most powerful tools in your practice.
If you’ve been to a yoga class, there’s a good chance you’ve heard your teacher say something like “inhale to lift, exhale to fold.” Maybe you’ve been guided through a deep sigh, or a few moments of stillness where the only instruction was to breathe. That’s pranayama in action, even if you didn’t realize it.
Pranayama is the yogic practice of intentional breathwork, and while it might sound intimidating, at its heart, it’s just learning how to use the breath you already have. In fact, it’s one of the most powerful tools yoga offers not just for your practice on the mat, but for your life beyond it.
Philosophy
If you’ve ever heard your teacher tell the story behind a pose or heard reference to things like the Yamas and Niyamas, the philosophy section of yoga is for you. This is where you understand the deeper meanings of yoga, as well as how different philosophical mindsets impact different branches of practice.
Every time you’ve brought your hands together in prayer at the beginning, middle, or end of class, you’ve taken a mudra. If you’ve rested your hands on your knees during your meditation, you’ve taken a mudra. If you’ve so much as given the Peace Fingers to anyone in your daily life, you’ve taken a mudra. There’s even a Gesture of Middle Finger mudra, should it ever apply.
While yoga is often associated with movement, mudras remind us that sometimes the smallest gestures carry the greatest intention.
When people begin practicing yoga, many focus on Asana, or poses, and the physical aspects of the practice. However, they may find that their practices feel stale and disconnected at some point. They adhere to every cue, find picture-perfect posture in every pose, and come to their mat, at least in some sense, every day. But something still feels missing. And sometimes, that’s a different relationship with themselves.
Enter the Niyamas, the second branch of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga.
Most people discover yoga through movement. That's why many people are surprised to learn that, according to the traditional Eight Limbs of Yoga, the physical practice isn't where yoga actually begins. Before yoga asks us to move our bodies, it asks us to consider how we move through the world.
Those first teachings are known as the Yamas.
If you’ve been practicing yoga for an extended period of time, it’s likely you’ve heard at least some mention of the Eight Limbs of Yoga. Depending on where you practice or who your teacher is, you may have also even learned one or two of them.
Whether you know what they are or not, here’s a quick rundown.
Lifestyle
Practicing yoga isn’t just about the experience on the mat—it’s also how you take it off the mat and out into your day-to-day life. Whether you’re looking to develop a more yogic mindset all the time or seeking ways to sharpen the life you’ve already created, the lifestyle section is here for you.
We’re used to being good at things. Or at least getting good quickly. And when we don’t, we either push harder or check out completely. Yoga doesn’t really reward either of those approaches.
And that’s usually where the disconnect starts.
Yoga has been around for thousands of years and has seen increasing popularity in the Western world over the past few decades. It is an ancient practice that involves physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation. It has numerous benefits for the body and mind, and can improve overall health and well-being.
Here are 10 of the best benefits practicing yoga can bring to your life.
Plank Pose is one of the clearest expressions of strength in yoga. There is nowhere to hide. No dramatic shape. No deep fold. Just a straight line of effort from your heels through the crown of your head.
On the Warrior’s Path, Plank represents discipline. It is the moment where you hold steady under pressure. You do not collapse. You do not rush. You stay.