Even though Utkatasana is also known as Chair Pose, one should not assume that Utkata means chair in Sanskrit.This pose is known as the Fierce Pose with Utkata, which means violent, fierce, or severe.
The Chair Pose is so named because it resembles a person sitting on an imaginary chair. Why? For a chair pose, the words powerful and intense?People in positions of authority and power sat in chairs in antiquity.The elite, kings and those in positions of authority had access to this.
It has to do with this idea.
To feel comfortable in this pose, working on the hip, knee, and pelvic alignment is crucial. The back is aligned at 45-degree angle from the floor or mat in Chair Pose Deep Bend (Utkatasana Deep Bend), whereas in Chair Pose (Utkatasana), the back is straight with its natural curves, and the neck is slightly bent with a gaze at the palms.
STEPS FOR CHAIR POSE:
- Sit in Tadasana. Breathe deeply and raise your arms overhead until your biceps are just in front of your ears.Keep your arms parallel, and your palms facing, or join them together.
- Taking a deep breath out, flex your knees until your thighs are as parallel to the floor as you can manage.Your front torso will form roughly a right angle with the tops of your thighs as your knees extend outward over your feet and your trunk leans forward over them.
- Press the tops of your thigh bones toward your heels while keeping your inner thighs parallel.
- Push firmly with your back and shoulder blades. Keep your lower back long by pointing your tailbone inward, toward your pubis, and down toward the floor.
- Stay there for 30 to 60 seconds. Straighten your knees while inhaling and lifting your arms forcefully to exit this position.
- Release your arms to your sides in Tadasana as you exhale.
Benefits of Chair Pose
Lengthens, Strengthens, and Stretches:
In this pose, the lower body gets stronger while the entire upper body, including the shoulders, chest, spine, neck, and upper back, is stretched.
In Utkatasana, the lower body bears some of the body’s weight while the upper body bends at the hips, applying the necessary pressure to the knee and ankle joints. This pressure gradually strengthens the joints and imparts a toned appearance.
When the arms are raised, the intercostal muscles receive a deep stretch and a stretch to the arms and armpits. Although the thighs, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves receive minimal additional stress from knee bending, it aids in gradually strengthening the entire leg.
Flexibility and range of motion/Energizing, de-stressing:
Lengthening the spine and bolstering the knee and ankle joints, which are stabilized by a strong hip, improves flexibility and agility.
The dynamic and difficult pose known as Chair Pose (Utkatasana) gives momentum to many other poses that involve squatting and twisting.
Yoga instructors, therefore, use this pose for ashtanga and power yoga sequences.
Breath, the diaphragm, and the chest:
The chest also expands due to the shoulders expanding, contributing to the diaphragm’s increased flexibility and better breathing. It takes awareness to comprehend how the body moves in this pose and deep, slow breathing.
The immune system is taken care of by improved breathing brought on by chest expansion. Here, increasing stamina by attempting to maintain the pose for a longer period of time builds endurance.
Awareness, Concentration, Posture, and Alignment:
The ability to maintain Utkatasana depends heavily on the muscle strength of the practitioner. Focus is key in maintaining equilibrium in this situation. Utkatasanais physically and mentally demanding, and balance and focus go hand in hand.
Focus is improved by the arms raised above the head, the slight neck bend, and the Gaze (Dhristhi) on the palms. The practitioner must be aware of not crunching their shoulders as they half-squat.
In this pose, the lower body is toned, and the spine is becoming more flexible, improving posture and alignment.
Stimulation and Organs/Circulation and Systems:
Utkatasana tightens the abdominal muscles while holding the pose, stimulating the organs, circulation, and systems while toning the core. The abdominal muscles are tightened, strengthening and energizing the digestive system by performing a tummy tuck while bringing the navel close to the spine. This pose’s muscle toning improves blood circulation. The lengthened spine calms the nervous system and tones the spinal nerves.
Treatment, Recovery, and Illnesses:
Constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), anorexia, and acidity can all be effectively treated with abdominal toning, which also acts as a wonderful massage to the digestive organs. Stretching the neck stimulates the thyroid glands, bringing the levels of thyroxine into balance.
The uterus is toned during pelvic toning, and the endocrine glands are stimulated, which improves the ovaries’ and testes’ ability to function.
This pose can successfully treat menstrual irregularities and reproductive illnesses like infertility and erectile dysfunction.The prostate glands benefit from pelvic toning as well.
Balance and Emotions:
Chair Pose (Utkatasana), which balances the throat chakra with a slight neck stretch, improves emotional stability and communication clarity. It improves creativity and balances pelvic toning and the sacral chakra.The third eye chakra’s activation improves vision, foresight, wisdom, and decision-making, while the root chakra’s harmony keeps the person grounded and modest. This pose promotes a balanced personality and is holistic.
Others:
The quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves, crucial muscles for most athletes, are strengthened in this position.Therefore, it can be said that this pose is fantastic to include in an athlete’s regular stretching regimen.
This pose also tightens the knees, which benefits athletes and runners because it absorbs shock.
Teenagers and beginners can practice this pose, and yoga instructors can incorporate it into sequences for core strengthening.
Contraindications for Chair Pose:
Surgery and Injury:
The practice of this pose will be challenging for anyone with chronic knee pain or a knee injury. Therefore, it is best performed after full healing or when the knees are sufficiently strong. This pose should be avoided by students who have injuries to their shoulders, ankles, or hips because these joints are all in motion.
Lack of Body-Breath Connections:
Students may hold their breath to maintain the pose if they don’t have body-breath connections.
Additionally, such students may jerk their knees while aligning in the pose or releasing it, which is bad for the respiratory pattern.Before practicing, yoga instructors need to educate the students about this.
Physical Strength and Weak Body:
Students who suffer from migraines, high blood pressure, or vertigo should avoid this pose.
The raised arms and bowed neck can cause imbalance and dizziness.
The carotid arteries, which are a pair of blood vessels on either side of the neck and carry blood to the brain, are slightly pressed by this action, as is the jugular vein.
Additionally, to prevent joint dislocations when releasing the pose, people with weak ankle, knee, and hip joints should avoid this pose.
Others:
Due to the strain on the hips and legs from carrying the weight of the womb, this pose must be avoided by pregnant women in the third trimester. Like younger people lack core and knee strength, older people should avoid this pose.
This pose should be avoided by postpartum women still developing strength in their hip and pelvic joints.
Therapy and Restorative:
Even though this pose strengthens the body and the knees, yoga instructors must first evaluate their students’ physical fitness and rule out any serious spinal conditions, knee operations, or acute back pain before allowing them to perform it.