How to Do Chair Pose

Utkatasana is translated to furious / excessive pose, better known as chair pose. It is a pose that is meant to build strength in the legs, open the shoulders and encourage length in the spine. I tend to flow into utkatasana near the middle of the flow once the body is warmed up. I also like to say, “Make this chair pose feel like your throne. Feel strong, confident and powerful.” That cueing changes the whole vibe of the pose. I can see the yogis feel strong with no strain.

What to look for:

• Shoulders are not pinching towards the ears. Lots of spaciousness around the neck

• Spine is lengthened with no break in the neck and lower back

• Knees are parallel and not passing the toes

Common area where I see the strain is in the neck and shoulders. As soon as the arms scoop up, the shoulders tend to go into survival mode and trapezius muscles fires up. Instead soften the shoulders into gravity and gently activate the latissimus dorsi muscles to keep them grounded on the ribs.

Here is a video of how I cue Utkatasana / Chair Pose. I invite you to push play and come play! Namaste.