Good day, Steemians!

I'm grateful to be here on this bright, blessed day

brimming with infinite potential--

this feels like a day for building a better society

from the ashes of what didn't work!

How best to harness these passionate fires

and direct them in the greatest good?

My hero reminds me the revolution begins within,

so I focus on settling the conflict within myself,

let the purafire burn off all that does not serve me,

steem it all away.

The new economy is here; the beginning is near!

In thanks for this inspiring framework,

I present yoga to add value to the blockchain.

May it help you be your strongest, most vibrant, more powerful self!

This is Warrior I

AKA Virabhadrasana A

(vira = hero, bhadra = friend, asana = pose/posture)

Yoga comes from a war.

One of the first written account of yoga comes from the 

Bhagavad Gita (the song of the lord), a section of the 

Indian epic the Mahabharata

that details the battle between the Pandavas and Kauravas.

The soldier Arjuna despairs at fighting his own kinsmen

and he cries out to Lord Krishna,

who reveals his many splendid and horrific faces 

as he guides, comforts, and motivates 

Arjuna to fulfill his role and responsibilities without expectation to the outcome.

(The yoga sutras confirm total devotion + total detachment = total mastery)

Knowing this, perhaps it is no surprise that there are 

poses celebrating the WARRIOR in standard asana practice,

as Warrior I is foundational to many a discipline.

The story of this pose is also steeped in glorious lore:

Shiva married Sati, though her father King Daksha did not approve of the union

because Shiva was a free wheelin baller and dirty, dreadlocked recluse 

while the king was fairly rigid, by the books, rules-type dude.

The king threw a party and invited all the heavenly creations

except Shiva and Sati.

Sati, enraged, chose to attend the ritual anyway.

When she arrived, her father alternated between ignoring and mocking her.

Humiliated, she renounced her body, sat and took her yoga practice,

and stoked her inner fire until she was consumed by flames.

When Shiva heard of his wife's death,

he ripped his clothes and pulled out his dreads.

He picked up one of his locks and threw it on the ground,

from which sprang up a warrior demon named Virabhadra.

Shiva commanded Virabhadra to go to the party, kill everyone,

behead the king, and drink his blood.

Talk about fierce!

Warrior I reenacts Virabhadra's powerful materialization,

arising from the Earth with his sword held overhead.

How to WARRIOR I:

• From down dog, step the right foot forward. Knee comes to 90 degrees.
• With strength in the hip creases, rise up in magnificence.
• Draw the navel in, engaging force in the abdomen. 
• Keeping the chest open, extend the arms overhead, gaze at the thumbs.
• Press back through the outside edge of back foot to root down, channeling strength from the connection of lower body to the earth.
• Draw this energy upwards to the "sword" in hand.
• Power up, gathering glory, resilience, and determination to slay the demons in your way.

Breathe in, breathe out. 

Breathe in, breathe out. 

Breathe in, breathe out.

This body is the battlefield.

💛 Sara!
infinite thanks to the ever lovely @everlove for the photo
We can make fully custom Steemit Ts fit for a king!