Reverse warrior and extended side angle
Okay. Last lesson we spent five breaths a side in warrior I and II, holding still instead of rushing through. Good. Now we're going to take warrior II and stretch it two directions — one that opens the side body, one that opens it even more with a hand on the floor.
First, reverse warrior, because it's the gentler cousin.
Reverse warrior
Start in warrior II. Front knee bent, back leg straight and strong, arms out at shoulder height, front hand reaching over the front knee.
Now flip your front palm up, and reach that front arm up and back, like you're trying to touch the wall behind you. Your back hand slides down your back leg, shin, wherever it lands without you collapsing to get there. Front knee stays bent the whole time. That's the part people give up first, and I get it, but if the knee straightens you've lost the pose, you've just got a side stretch with extra steps.
Breathe here for three to five breaths. Feel the stretch run up the side body on your front-arm side, from the hip up through the ribs. Your back leg is still doing warrior work down there, still pressing into the floor. Don't let it go on vacation just because your top half is having a nice time.
Come back through warrior II before you move on. Own the shape both directions, not just the pretty top half.
Extended side angle
This one people either love or fight with, and usually it's a fight because of where the eyes go, not the legs.
From warrior II, hinge your torso forward over your bent front leg. Bring your front forearm to rest on your front thigh — just above the knee, never pressing down on the knee itself — or if you've got the range, your front hand comes to the floor on the outside of your front foot. Top arm reaches up and over your ear, making one long line from your back heel through your fingertips.
Here's what actually works: don't stare at your top hand. I made this mistake for a solid month once, years ago, practicing tree pose right next to a window where I could watch for the mail truck. I could not hold tree for anything that whole month. Kept toppling. Turned out balance is attention, not ankle strength, and my attention was on a truck, not my standing leg. Same thing happens here in extended side angle, except instead of falling over you just collapse into your front hip and lose the line. Pick a spot on the floor a few feet ahead and let your eyes rest there. The shape holds together so much better once your attention isn't wandering.
Five breaths. Long line from heel to fingertips, front knee tracking over the ankle, not caving in.
Come up slowly, back to warrior II, breathe once, then switch sides.
A caution worth saying plainly
Front knee over front ankle, not past it, in both of these. If you look down and can't see your toes past your kneecap, you're too far forward and your knee is doing work it wasn't built for. Shorten your stance if you need to. Nobody's grading the size of your lunge.
Also — and this is the same thing I keep saying about our dry air up here — if you're moving through these with any speed, drink water beforehand, not just after. Extended side angle especially can bring the blood to your head fast if you come up too quick. If you feel that gray, swimmy feeling, stop, sit down, breathe. Own it and keep going once it passes. Nobody in my class has ever been in trouble for sitting down.
My honest opinion here
I'll say this every time it's relevant, because it's true every time: slow down before you speed up. Reverse warrior and extended side angle look simple compared to some of the fancier poses out there, but if you can't hold a clean five breaths in either one, doing them fast in a flow just means you're flailing through them faster. Get the shape right slow first. The flow version comes later and it comes easier once your body already knows what "right" feels like.
Practicing at home
You don't need much. A wall behind you if your balance is still finding its feet — literally stand a foot or so in front of it and know it's there if you tip. A folded towel under your back foot if your floor's slick. That's it. Sunday best on the alignment, not the equipment.
Before next time
Try both poses at home this week, three breaths each side is plenty to start. Pick a spot on the floor to rest your eyes in extended side angle before you even get into the shape, don't wait until you're already wobbling to figure out where to look.