Chair Pose — Utkatasana (OOT-kuh-TAHS-uh-nuh) — is a standing yoga posture that tones the entire body, particularly the thighs!
Utkatasana is also sometimes referred to as “Awkward Chair Pose,” or “Powerful Pose.”
Its Sanskrit name comes from the words “utkata” (meaning “powerful” or “fierce”) and “asana” (meaning “pose”). It can be a fierce pose for your thighs and it gets your heart pumping quickly.
Exhale and bend your knees, trying to take the thighs as nearly parallel to the floor as possible. The knees will project out over the feet, and the torso will lean slightly forward over the thighs until the front torso forms approximately a right angle with the tops of the thighs. Keep the inner thighs parallel to each other and press the heads of the thigh bones down toward the heels.
Firm your shoulder blades against the back. Take your tailbone down toward the floor and in toward your pubis to keep the lower back long.
Stay for 30 seconds to a minute. To come out of this pose straighten your knees with an inhalation, lifting strongly through the arms. Exhale and release your arms to your sides into Tadasana.
Contraindications and Cautions:
Modifications and Props:
You can increase the strength of your thighs by squeezing a block or thick book between them during the pose.
As you bend your knees, lift up onto the balls of your feet and sit your buttocks down on your raised heels. Extend your arms forward, parallel to each other and the floor, palms down or facing inward.
How to:
Stand in Tadasana and raise your arms perpendicular to the floor. Either keep the arms parallel, palms facing inward, or join the palms, or lifted in line with the ears and spine.
Exhale and bend your knees, trying to take the thighs as nearly parallel to the floor as possible. The knees will project out over the feet, and the torso will lean slightly forward over the thighs until the front torso forms approximately a right angle with the tops of the thighs. Keep the inner thighs parallel to each other and press the heads of the thigh bones down toward the heels.
Firm your shoulder blades against the back. Take your tailbone down toward the floor and in toward your pubis to keep the lower back long.
Stay for 30 seconds to a minute. To come out of this pose straighten your knees with an inhalation, lifting strongly through the arms. Exhale and release your arms to your sides into Tadasana.
Contraindications and Cautions:
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Low blood pressure
You can increase the strength of your thighs by squeezing a block or thick book between them during the pose.
Beginner's Tip:
To help you stay in this pose, perform it near a wall. Stand with your back to the wall, a few inches away from the wall. Adjust your position relative to the wall so that when you bend into the position, your tailbone just touches and is supported by the wall.
Benefits:
- Strengthens the ankles, thighs, calves, and spine
- Stretches shoulders and chest
- Stimulates the abdominal organs, diaphragm, and heart
- Reduces flat feet
- Partnering - A partner can use either hands or feet to press your heels firmly into the ground.
As you bend your knees, lift up onto the balls of your feet and sit your buttocks down on your raised heels. Extend your arms forward, parallel to each other and the floor, palms down or facing inward.
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