Stay Fit and Strong: Unlock the Power of Utkatasana

Stay Fit and Strong: Unlock the Power of Utkatasana

Utkatasana ‘The Chair Pose’:

Utkatasana word has been taken from Sanskrit. It is made up of two words: ‘utkat’ and ‘asana.’ The word ‘Utkat’ means ‘Powerful’ and ‘Asana’ means ‘Pose.’ So, it means the powerful pose which is quite challenging and is quite difficult to perform. 

In this asana, the pose looks like a chair, so it is also known as ‘The Chair Pose.’ It is one of the standing yoga poses that challenges you in both ways, i.e. physically as well as mentally. Various muscle groups get engaged in this exercise. It improves the balance and stability of the body and makes it flexible. You need to maintain the correct posture to perform this asana.

Is this Asana Suitable for You?

This asana is suitable for almost everyone. A person of any age group can go for this asana. Even a pregnant lady can do it, but only during the early days of the pregnancy period. There are certain exceptions for whom this asana is not suitable:

• If you have any kind of joint injury as this pose puts pressure on joints.
• If you have BP issues.
• If your back is not strong.
• If you suffer from knee problems.
• If you have breathing issues.
• If you have gone through surgery recently.
• If you are suffering from arthritis.
• If you have headache problems.
• If you suffer from migraine issues.
• If you suffer from sleeping disorders like insomnia.

If you have any of the above mentioned problems, you should avoid this asana completely. Still, if you want to do it, then take the advice of a doctor and the guidance of some yoga expert.

Steps of Doing the Chair Yoga Pose:

This standing yoga pose looks quite simple but actually is a challenging one. You need to maintain balance and correct body posture. You have to pose like a chair by maintaining the squat position. Here are the steps to do this asana:

• Stand tall. Your feet should remain apart at the width of your hips.
• Keep your arms relaxed on the sides.
• Now extend your arms by keeping them straight and palms should be facing downwards.
• Bend at your knees gradually and start lowering your body by imagining that you are about to sit on a chair.
• Keep your spine upright.
• Hold this chair-like squat position for at least twenty seconds while taking deep breaths.
• Come out of the pose by straightening your legs and lowering your arms. Come back to the original position.

Other Ways of Doing the Chair Yoga Pose:

There is not a single way to do this pose. It has certain variations as well. Let us have a look at them:

• Ardha Utkatasana (Half Chair Pose):
• Stand tall. Your feet should remain apart at the width of your hips.
• Keep your arms relaxed on the sides.
• Extend your arms forward and your palms should be facing each other.
• Bend your knees gradually to form half chair pose. The knees have to be bent more than the normal pose.
• Bend your torso forward to make it parallel with the ground.
• Hold this position for at least twenty seconds while taking deep breaths.
• Come out of the pose by straightening your legs, lowering your arms, and straightening your torso. Come back to the original position.
• Parivritta Utkatasana (Twisted Chair Pose):
• Stand tall. Your feet should remain apart at the width of your hips.
• Keep your arms relaxed on the sides.
• Now join hands in front of your upper body to form a namaste.
• Bend at your knees gradually and start lowering your body by imagining that you are about to sit on a chair.
• Keep your spine erect.
• Touch your left knee with your right elbow and move your chest in the left direction. 
• Hold this position for at least fifty seconds while taking deep breaths.
• Come out of the pose by straightening your legs and lowering your arms. Come back to the original position.

Apart from these variations, you can keep your arms open bent at the elbows, and on the sides at the shoulders width apart. Also, you can make use of a block to save yourself from falling in case of imbalance.

Utkatasana Benefits:

Utkatasana benefits you in many ways physically as well as mentally. Here are some of its benefits:

• It makes the lower body strong and flexible.
• It improves the body’s balance and stability.
• It helps in losing weight.
• It makes your posture better.
• It reduces stiffness in the shoulders.
• It involves all muscle groups and makes them strong.
• It tones the core muscles, especially the abdominals and lower back.
• It tones the pelvic floor.
• It helps in relieving the back pain.
• It makes thighs and hips strong.
• It helps in treating the problem of flat feet.
• It helps in correcting minor leg deformities.
• It is great for the health of your heart as it increases its enduring power.
• It helps in managing respiratory issues.
• It helps in relieving certain issues related to pregnancy like gestational hypertension.
• It makes you more energetic.
• It helps in reducing stress and anxiety.
• It makes you calm and relaxed.
• It improves immunity levels.

Precautions Needed to be Taken:

While doing this asana, you must take care of certain things. These are briefly mentioned below:

• Perform this asana under the guidance of some expert to avoid any injury.
• Do not overdo it by overstretching your body.
• Do not do deep squats if you have knee pain, lower back pain, knee injury, and lower back injury.
• Make use of props if you face any issues in balancing your body. The elderly people should perform it next to the wall or chair.
• If you are pregnant take the guidance of a doctor to know whether you can do this pose or not. And if yes, then do it only under the supervision of a prenatal yoga expert.
• Avoid doing this pose during menstruation time.
• If you feel any sort of discomfort, immediately stop doing this.

Conclusion:

As a beginner, you may find it difficult to perform this Asana, but with regular practice, you can become an expert in it. This asana comes under Hatha Yoga. Rishikesh, the Yoga Capital of the World, is considered to be the best place in India to get Hatha Yoga teacher training in India. There are so many institutes and ashrams in Rishikesh that provide this training. You can go through them online and choose the best one as per your requirements.