Chair Pose, Utkatasana
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| Chair Pose, Utkatasana |
Steps
- Stand with your feet and arms in Tadasana or basic mountain pose
- Inhale deeply, moving your arms forward and overhead, palms facing inwards and on exhalation, squat as if you’re sitting on an imaginary chair, keeping your heels firmly grounded.
- Try keeping your thighs as parallel to the ground as possible, but you should be able to see your toes, so your knees should be bent just slightly forward of the ankles.
- Draw in the navel which should help support the spine and aid in dispersing the inner power you have tapped into. Tuck your tailbone in and gaze upwards slightly but do not strain the neck and jaw.
- As much as possible, keep the spine, head and raised arms in line. Make sure the arms are at the same level as the ears.
- Hold the position for four to eight slow and steady breaths. And on exiting the pose, inhale as you straighten the legs and exhale when returning the arms to the sides as in Tadasana. It’s important to remember to breathe through this asana and find your balance. Repeat.
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| Utkatasana |
- Spine Neutral
- Pelvis Neutral although creating a slight imprint will prevent extension in the lumbar spine.
- Scapula neutral, avoiding elevation, with an upward rotation due to the flexion at the glenohumeral joint.
- Appendages – Arms are flexed at the shoulder and pronated so inside of elbow face each other; hands are open and spread with palms facing; legs are together, parallel and flexed at the hip and knee up to 90 degrees; feet together and parallel with toes (front half of foot) in front of knees.
