I have hesitated to elaborate this story in class because of the brutal nature of it. Do I want students and myself to embody the destructive nature of the myth...? I have instead looked at Virabhadrāsana 1, 2 and 3 in more abstract terms - examining the vectors of energy created and interpreting them as 1. Vertical connection with the transcendent: setting a clear intention for action; 2. slicing the arms out horizontally into the imminent or transactional reality - acting in the world from that right intention; and 3. finding the balance between intention and action: integration.