OMYogaUK_December_2016

om body

Chair Pose is a strong asana that helps us to develop

strength in our feet and legs while working deeply on

our core stability.

An overview of...

Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

Detailed alignment

cues for Chair Pose

360

̊

yoga

Doctor

yogi

with

presents...

T

his standing posture is often part of a Sun Saluation and opens the chest,

armpits and ribcage allowing us to expand our breath.

Chair Pose can be great for developing focus and concentration.

FEET HIP DISTANCE APART

l Find the boney points at the front

of your pelvis (these are known as the

ASIS, Anterior Superior Iliac Spines)

and line these up with the mid-point of

each of your ankles

FEET PARALLEL

l Line the mid-point of each ankle

up with the base of your second toe

ACTIVATE YOUR FEET

l Engage the inner (medial

longitudinal) arches of your feet

by lifting your toes off the mat,

spreading them and gently lowering

them back onto the mat

l Gently draw your outer ankles

in to stabilise your ankle joints

SHIFT YOUR WEIGHT BACK

l Glance down to check that

your knees are tracking over your

ankles and that you can see all 10

toes beyond your knees

l If you can’t, shift your weight

back into your heels slightly and

move your pelvis further back

EXTERNALLY ROTATE YOUR

SHOULDER JOINTS

l Gently rotate your upper, outer arms

towards the ground so that your armpits

begin to turn in towards one another

ENGAGE YOUR SHOULDER BLADES

l Gently draw your shoulder blades

onto the back of your ribcage

l Draw your shoulder blades apart

and feel the back of your chest broaden

REACH YOUR

ARMS HIGH

l Imagine that your

are reaching from the

base of your lungs

l Ideally your arms

are in line with your

ears and your hands

are shoulder width

apart with palms

facing each other

FIND A NEUTRAL CHEST

l Lengthen through all four sides

of your waist to create more space

between your hip bones and your

lower ribs

l Soften your front, lower ribs

towards your spine and breathe into

your back lower ribs to create space

in the back of your chest

l Keeping this space, widen across

your collar bones (clavicles) to

stabilise this space