Utkatasana – Using your chair to stay warm!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to some very credible yoga sources, the secret to a comfortable stay in Utkatasana (or chair pose) is ‘the release of the heads of the thigh bones toward the heels’. Ahem. It may feel like a form of torture…and that burn in your thighs is so, well, burny! Already we are learning a little about our stamina! But in truth, this slightly awkward, but powerful and fierce posture can bring you so many benefits.

Physically it…

  • Strengthens the hip flexor muscles, the fronts of the thighs, the adductors of the inner thigh as well as the hips gluteus muscles, the calf muscles
  • It opens your chest and shoulders and stimulates your heart… enjoy the sensation of your heart pumping and working hard for you!

How to do it…

  • Stand in Tadasana.
  • Inhale and raise your arms over your head.
  • Keep arms parallel, palms facing inward.
  • Exhale and bend your knees, trying to take the thighs as nearly parallel to the floor as possible.
  • Keep the inner thighs parallel to each other and press the tops of the thigh bones down toward the heels.
  • Melt your shoulder blades down your back.
  • Extend your tailbone down toward the floor and slightly tilt it under to keep the lower back long.

Stay for 30 seconds to a minute – test yourself. To come out of this pose, inhale your knees straight, lifting strongly through the arms. Exhale and release your arms to your sides back into Tadasana

And especially when it’s winter outside, creating a little heat and energy in the body can really help you stay warm on the inside…