Breaking the Rules

It seems like there are many rules to follow when doing Warrior I pose--the back foot down, the hips square (oops, the back foot came up when I squared my hips). The tailbone tucked to protect the lower back while extending and back bending (oops I feel it in my lower back because it is really challenging to tuck the tailbone while extending and doing a back bend when my legs are in this position). So I decided to break the rules for myself and my students this week in class. I told them to focus on grounding the back foot and let the hips go where they are comfortable. Then extend the arms at sides or overhead (or keep them at the waist) and just focus on grounding the back foot and keeping the back leg active and engaged. Extend the spine and bring the chest forward (rather than bending the back). The pose was much more comfortable and enjoyable this way and the yoga police did NOT show up at the door to arrest us for breaking the rules!