Lisa’s Asana 101 Pose of the Week | Utkatasana | Chair

Lisa’s Asana 101 Pose of the Week | Utkatasana | Chair

Benefits: Stretches shoulders and chest, strengthens the ankles, thighs, calves, and spine, reduces flat feet, and stimulates the abdominal organs, diaphragm, and heart.
Lisa Ware | Utkatasana | Chair

Lisa Ware | Utkatasana | Chair

Begin in Mountain Pose, Tadasana. Bring feet parallel, grounded, toes to touch. Reach fingertips wide near the sides of your body, crown of head lifting away with dynamic tension. Take 3 breaths.
Bring hands to heart center. Set your intention for your practice of yoga today.
Reach out and up sweeping the arms with the breath.
Lift arms to the sky on the inhale, reaching to the Earth on the exhale. Take 5 Circle Sweeping breaths here, making Angel Wings, as my friend Aubrey calls it, as if your swimming through honey.
Inhale.
Reach up, bringing the overhead, biceps by the ears, and relaxing the shoulders away, creating space between ears and shoulders.
Exhale.
Sit down into chair. Bring your tailbone down toward your heels.
Inhale, staying in the posture.
Lift your heart and the crown of your head.
Exhale.
Completely exhale, and sit down into Utkatasana to the very edge of your pose today.
Inhale. Reach up, staying in the pose,
Echale. Sweep arms back and down by sides. Repeat for 3-5 breaths, as this movement matches your breath with your body vinyasa movement.
Feel the Prana increase as the pose heats the large muscles of the legs and core.
Inhale.
Come up to Tadasana, standing.
Exhale.
Release the arms by the sides. Come back to the Mountain pose.
Finish by circle sweeping the arms out and up, and releasing breath as you reach down.
Pause in Mountain Pose and reflect.
Namaste.
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