Chair pose, also known as Utkatasana, is a great pose for strengthening your legs and your core.
What The Pose Looks Like
Yoga Pose - Chair Pose
- Begin in Mountain Pose (aka Tadasana). Take a big breath in as you reach your arms up over head.
- As you exhale, press your feet into the ground as you shift your hips back and down (as if you are beginning to sit back into a chair).
- Concentrate on keeping your knees back behind your toes.
- Pull your belly in as you keep your arms extended up and forward, so they are in line with the angle of your back.
- Remain in the pose for a couple of breaths, being mindful of your breath. Also, look for areas of tension (often your shoulders) and allow for ease in the pose.
- To come out of the pose you can simply return to Mountain Pose, or release your body forward into a standing Forward Fold (aka Uttanasana)
Modifications
- Rather than extending your arms up and forward, hold them in prayer pose in front of your chest.
- Turn it into a chest expansion by clasping the hands behind your back and extending your arms back and up.
- Hold onto the back of a chair for stability.
- Widen your stance to greater than hip distance to add more stability and open the hips.
- Limit how deep you sink back into the pose to lessen pressure on your knees.
- Place a yoga block between your knees. Squeeze the block to better activate the thigh muscles.
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