Pose of the moment: Utkatasana

Last month's newsletter on crow v. crane pose was a big hit, so I thought I would briefly address another pose that is commonly referred to incorrectly. If you missed it, check it out on my blog HERE.

The pose I'll focus on this month is Utkatasana. It's often referred to as chair pose because you stick your rear end back and squat down almost as if you were sitting on an imaginary chair. However, if you translate the Sanskrit name, "utkata" actually means "powerful, fierce, uneven."

In my opinion, there's nothing fierce or powerful about sitting in a chair, and for that reason, I prefer not to refer to the pose as "chair pose", but by it's name, Fierce Pose.

The names of the poses give you an idea of what rasa, or essence to take on when performing the posture, and often indicate what is to be received from the pose. Utkatasana is the beginning of the Warrior Series, and it's meant to be fierce and powerful like a Warrior. And if one, in fact, follows BKS Iyengar's instructions, it cannot help but feel fierce. Mr. Iyengar instructs us to bend our knees until the thighs are parallel to the floor (ouch, my quads hurt just typing that), and to avoid stooping forward, but to keep the chest as far back as possible. Then he says, with no hint of irony, "breathe normally." That's why he is a yoga master I suppose.

A picture speaks a thousand words, so I'll include a few here for illustrative purposes.

Compare the feeling of "fierceness" these poses convey:


























Now both of these poses are lovely visually, and yet there's a definite difference in the impression they leave, and no doubt, what the practitioner is feeling in their body.

Try out the difference for yourself in your next practice, and really go for it. You will receive the benefits (strong back, legs, toning of the organs, development of chest) of Utkatasana much more quickly and intensely.

Keeping it real and fierce,

Liz Doyle
Www.LizDoyleYoga.com