How to Do a Chair Yoga Pose

Video Transcript

"GINA KENNEDY: Utkatasana intense pose, or chair pose, can be just that, very intense, very intense on your thighs. So, we're going to have Faith demonstrate this using the block, which will help you learn how to use your thighs properly to put your back and spine in alignment, and hopefully make the pose a little bit easier for you. So, we're going to ask Faith to stand nice and tall. Good. She's going to place the block in between her legs. Good. Then, she's going to press firmly into all four corners of her feet, spreading her toes. Good. She's going to inhale, lift up through her chest, and as she exhales, she's just gonna, squeezing the block, drop her hips back and reach her arms forward. Good. Now, we want to make sure that her--go ahead and do it the other way--her tailbone isn't up so it's compressing her spine. So, she's going to press her tailbone down, and see how that lengthens up, so she has one long line of energy from the tailbone to the crown of her head, also drawing her belly button in. She's squeezing her thighs together which internally rotates the thighs--good--and helps her hold that position even longer. The weight is in heels so she should be able to lift up her toes, and she should be able to see her toes. If her knees are far forward over her toes, then you need to move your knees back, so you can see your toes, squeezing through your thighs, drawing your belly button in, and that's a beautiful, intense pose."