Q. What's the deal with the Warrior asanas? Why is it teachers apparently consider them fundamental, and shouldn't they be considered artifacts of an obsolete world view and in any case dispensable for older learners? I flat don't want to do them, and I was getting a little better at them, though they are difficult for me. Isn't it true that in ancient India the warrior class was large and important, and so, the warrior point of view had to be represented in the yoga repertory? Isn't that point of view obsolete? Aren’t these asanas precisely evocative of the violent confrontation with an armed adversary?

A. Cheri Huber calls the whole human lot of us meaning making machines. I guess the warrior pose can be whatever you make it. It's never been evocative of violent confrontation with an armed adversary for me. For me it's always been about personal strength and courage.

We all need to be warriors to our own self-limiting thoughts, we need to be warriors to all the obstacles that loom between us and our greatest well-being. We can't just lie down and be door mats. We need to stand up for what we believe, for what we know is right, for our values. From the Bhagavad Gita: "Kill therefore with the sword of wisdom the doubt born of ignorance that lies in thy heart. Be one in self-harmony, in Yoga, and arise, great warrior, arise." - Krishna.

The warrior postures are great for accessing those qualities in ourselves. They are firmly grounded, yet powerfully tall, brave and open - courageous, even. And while we may find them uncomfortable and difficult, they do offer us an opportunity to challenge ourselves, to practice patience and perseverance.

While you are in the pose, be aware of your power chakra, at the solar plexus - the center of fire and strength and stamina. Breathe into that space, access your strength from there, rather than making your legs do all the work. Feel your power radiating from that core. Also, if you are on a sticky mat, you can utilize your core more fully and the strength of your entire leg, not just the area above the knee, by isometrically drawing inward on your legs (without actually moving your feet). This will energize your entire body and give a buoyancy to the pose so you don't feel as heavy. Keep drawing up through the top of your head and lifting the heart too. And don’t forget to breathe!

The way a warrior is completely absorbed in the task at hand, let your entire body/mind work together to engage fully in the pose. If you are not fighting yourself while in it, it's a LOT easier! When you are fully absorbed in the pose, there is no room for struggle. There is so much to do, so much to pay attention to.

One reason you may not like the pose is that accessing your inner warrior is uncomfortable to you. If that is the issue, explore it more deeply to find out what is going on there. If you don't like the warrior poses because you are afraid that physically you will hurt your knees or something like that, you should speak with your teachers about that. I have always held that no posture is worth risking your knees. You can use chairs and walls, and have your teacher help make sure your alignment is spot-on. Clear, regular communications with your teacher is essential.

Don't forget about abhyasa and vairagya - practice and equanimity. Practice is simply to remember to be fully aware as much of the time as possible, and not get lost in your patterns of thinking and then automatically believing everything you think. Equanimity is to be aware of when you have strong likes and dislikes such as "I flat out don't want to do them" and to get clear on what that's about because much of our strong likes and dislikes are simply mental patterns we are slaves to. That's another one of the great things about an asana practice - it opens things like that up for our examination.

So I'm not saying one way or another, what you need to do about the warrior poses. Only you know. Pay close attention. Explore all concepts, beliefs and preferences, to determine whether they are ultimately freeing you or imprisoning you. Remember, your practice is your practice and you get to choose which poses belong there and which ones do not.