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Utkatasana ( sa, उत्कटासन; IAST: ''Utkaṭāsana''), Chair Pose, or fierce pose, is a standing asana in modern
The name comes from the Sanskrit words ''utkaṭa'' (उत्कट) meaning "wild, frightening, above the usual, intense, gigantic, furious, or heavy", and ''āsana'' (आसन) meaning "posture" or "seat".
The modern chair-like pose is said to originate with Krishnamacharya. An older version of the pose, with the yogin squatting lower down on to the heels in a posture close to Upaveshasana, is shown in the 19th century ''
File:Parivrtta-Utkatasana_Yoga-Asana_Nina-Mel.jpg, Parivritta Utkatasana with the hands in Anjali Mudra
File:2007-08-24 Hawaii Shiva Rea.jpg, Shiva Rea demonstrating Utkata Konasana with a hand mudra
Benefits
Variations with instructions
{{Hatha yoga Standing asanas Medieval Hatha Yoga asanas Core strength asanas
Utkatasana ( sa, उत्कटासन; IAST: ''Utkaṭāsana''), Chair Pose, or fierce pose, is a standing asana in modern yoga as exercise
Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...
. It was a low squatting asana in medieval hatha yoga.
Etymology and origins
The name comes from the Sanskrit words ''utkaṭa'' (उत्कट) meaning "wild, frightening, above the usual, intense, gigantic, furious, or heavy", and ''āsana'' (आसन) meaning "posture" or "seat".
The modern chair-like pose is said to originate with Krishnamacharya. An older version of the pose, with the yogin squatting lower down on to the heels in a posture close to Upaveshasana, is shown in the 19th century ''Sritattvanidhi
The ''Sritattvanidhi'' (, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instructions for, and ill ...
''.
Description
In Utkatasana, the knees are hips-width apart and bent. The hips are back, and the chest is forward. Both arms are above the head, in line with the ears. The spine is elongated, and the sternum is lifted. This pose is shaped like a lightning bolt and is said to be powerful and stimulating.Variations
Ardha Utkatasana has the knees bent closer to a right angle so the thighs are more nearly parallel to the floor, and the body is inclined forwards closer to the thighs. Parivritta Utkatasana is the rotated variant; the hands are pressed together in front of the chest in Anjali Mudra, the lower elbow is pressed against the outside of the opposite knee, and the gaze is directed upwards. Utkata Konasana, Goddess Pose, has the legs wide apart, the feet turned outwards in line with the thighs, and the knees bent. The arms are usually raised with the elbows bent; variants have the arms straight up, or the hands may be held inAñjali Mudrā
Añjali Mudrā ( sa, अञ्जलि मुद्रा), is a hand gesture mainly associated with Indian religions and arts, encountered throughout Asia and beyond. It is a part of Indian classical dance postures such as Bharatanatyam, yoga p ...
, prayer position in front of the chest.
See also
* Pashasana, another squatting poseReferences
External links
Benefits
Variations with instructions
{{Hatha yoga Standing asanas Medieval Hatha Yoga asanas Core strength asanas