Energize with Utkatasana (Chair Pose)!
I love autumn. In fact, It’s my favorite season. Summer begins to wane, and the change is, for me, exciting. The weather grows cooler, the trees transition from green to hues that range from bright yellow to vibrant orange to deep red. And fall vegetables? Some of my absolute favorites! But as we move into cooler weather, the cold sometimes settles into my body and my energy levels drop. It’s harder to get up in the morning, and I frequently experience a lull in my energy in the middle of the afternoon. So Utkatasana (Chair Pose) is my go-to pose for revving my engine and generating heat and energy.
Step-by-step instructions
Chair Pose is a basic pose, meaning that it’s not complicated to get into or out of, and as such, nearly everyone can do it rather easily. Follow these step-by-step instructions for an energy pick-me-up, an early morning wakeup, or cold-weather warm-up.
1. Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) with your feet together. Bring your hands together in Anjali Mudra. Traditionally, you extend your arms overhead alongside your ears, but I find this problematic as it tends to round the back and increase tension in the lumbar area as soon as you come into Chair Pose. I offer Anjali Mudra as a back-friendly alternative.
Alternative: If your ankles or big toe knuckles press together and you experience pain or discomfort, place a block between your thighs. It serves as a spacer to keep your feet apart, thereby eliminating that unpleasant sensation in the ankles and toes, and it gives you something to press your thighs into.
2. As you bend your knees, hug your legs together (or squeeze your block).
3. Tilt your pelvis forward. Keep your spine long and your chest open.
4. Shift a little more weight into your heels and allow your hips to move backward in space a little. Your knees should come no further forward than your toes.
5. Keep your head in line with your spine by looking at the floor two-to-three feet in front of your toes.
Continue to breathe, keeping your breath smooth and steady.
6. If you choose to go deeper in the pose, drop your hips lower, but always keep your heart elevated above your hips and your spine extended rather than rounded.
Stay in Chair Pose for five to ten breaths before coming up. If you get light-headed fold forward into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) for a few breaths, then try coming up again.
Whether you incorporate Utkatasana into your morning wake-up routine or use it as an afternoon pick-me-up or generate some heat by spending a few moments in Chair Pose when you’re feeling cold, I’m sure you’ll find yourself drawn to the heat and energy of this pose.
Lindel Hart teaches yoga online for PerfectFit Wellness. He lives in Western Massachusetts and teaches at Deerfield Academy, a private residential high school, as well as at Community Yoga and Wellness in Greenfield, MA. Visit his website, Hart Yoga.
