Blog 9 / Posture Series: Awkward Pose: Utkatasana

Co-Written by: Carla Schils & the little YogaGal

Utkatasana : Awkward Pose

Dear Yogis: 
“Sit, sit down into the imaginary chair and stick your butt towards the wall, suck your stomach in tight until you can see your rib cage”……can we say awkward? This is exactly what this pose is, awkward.  Utkatasana, otherwise known in Bikram Yoga as “Awkward” pose is the third posture of the 26 Bikram Yoga series. Though it may look rather simplistic, this posture is called “Awkward” for a reason. Like most of the series, this pose will require an immense amount of mental concentration, physical stability/balance, and muscle and mind coordination.

Much like the Half-moon and Hands-to-feet pose, the “Awkward” posture will help warm up your entire body in preparation for the upcoming series. This is a posture that focuses primarily on the development of the thighs and torso. In particular, the following muscle groups are worked: the quadriceps, the calves, the abdominal muscles, the spinal erectors, and the front and rear deltoids. Additionally, this pose gets more demanding with each of the 3 stages in the Utkatasana sequence.

The purpose and benefits of this posture are to help to continue to warm up the body inside and outside of the hot room by creating joint and muscle flexibility. This posture also helps to encourage vast blood circulation to all areas of the body. Some other medical benefits of this posture include decreasing symptoms of rheumatism and arthritis in the legs and correcting slipped discs and other lower-spine problems.

Tips On How To Perform The Awkward Pose:

Stand tall with both your feet next to each other, then move the right foot far enough for a 6-inch gap to occur between your knees, (this is equal to the length of your two fists). Extend your arms in front of you, and make sure they are not relaxed – keep them flexed and straight at the elbows. Bring your arms down so you can see your shoulders. This will help to keep your shoulders loose, as we already tense our shoulders up enough in our day.  Additionally, this will keep them low and reduce stress on the joints.

Keep your fingers closed. Keep them as close together as possible. Slowly lower your hips so that your thighs become parallel to the floor, and hold the position. Go back up to straight position; only make sure to stand on your toes this time. Keep standing tall on your toes for a few seconds and then repeat the whole procedure above by bringing your hips down to where your thighs become parallel with the surface beneath you. Go back up to straight position again, and this time instead of putting the entire weight of your body on your toes, simply lift your heals off the ground just a little bit as if you were trying to add just one inch to your height, and repeat the awkward pose, only this time going down with your buttocks as low as you can until they almost touch the back of your heels. Remember that this is is the third, final, and most demanding iteration of this posture, but it has an end point and will not go on forever.

Some food for thought, each time you come up each part of the “Awkward” pose sequence, remember to keep your back straight. Try not to lean too far forward with your chest or to far backward into the heels. This might feel more difficult, but remember if you practice the proper form early on, you can avoid unnecessary injury, you will strengthen your core even more and you will continue to challenge mind and bodyJ And lastly….remember to breath normally through your nose. You’ll be tempted to breathe faster than usual as this posture gets the circulation moving, try to keep a normal respiration pace and revel in the awkwardness that this position can bring.

Breath on,

Carla Schils & the little YogaGal