Utkatasana on Tiptoes (Chair Pose on Tiptoes) 

Shri N. Elumalai, PhD Scholar (Yoga Science), MAHER

In Sanskrit, utkata means ‘intense’ or ‘powerful’ or ‘fierce’, asana means ‘pose’ and tiptoes means ‘to walk’ or ‘move’ quietly on one’s toes.’ It is a toe-balancing posture that places pressure on and stimulates the calves and ankles. It is a beginner level variation of Utkatasana (Chair Pose) which requires a better sense of balance, stability and strength. This pose also needs a lot of concentration. This pose can be practiced daily, can be done right after waking up in the mornings, or as a warm-up before Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar).

STEPS

First, begin the pose by standing in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) by placing your feet together and standing up nice and tall.
Now, have a deep breath in, put your hands on the waist, bend the knees and go down slowly and generously. Imagine the sitting bone hovering over your heels.
You can use your hands here to draw the lower belly in. Tuck your pelvis in, and lengthen the tailbone down. Hips to be rotated internally.
Now gently, inhale, stretch your arms, send the fingertips up to the sky. Lengthen your arms and keep them parallel over the head, palms facing each other.
Keep the shoulders plugged in here. Not squeezing them in towards the face or ears.
Take a big breath in, let’s sink a little deeper, bend the knees. Go more down, imagine as you are sitting on a chair. But keep your hips above knee level. Remember to broaden the chest, face in front.
Now, as you feel comfortable. Take a deep breath in and out. Keeping your gaze soft here, lift your both heels up. Try and balance in the final pose for 3-5 big breaths.
To release, inhale, first bring the heels down on the ground. Slowly, while exhaling, bring your hands down to relax in Tadasana.

BENEFITS

Excellent pose to strengthen the weight-bearing bone i.e. the shinbone and quadriceps.
Lengthens the exterior spinal muscles, and to stabilize the knees.
Tones the back and the abdominal muscles.
Stretches the torso and arms and shoulders up, develops the chest muscles, and extends the gluteal muscles.
Helps in developing the overall endurance and strength of the whole body.
Opens and relaxes ankles and feet muscles, allows the ankle-flexibility and improves range of motion.
It works wonders for runners.
Open the shoulder joints and elongate the sides of the body.
Nice pose for basketball players and other similar sportspersons.
Great warm-up for those who have breathing issues.
Opens rib cage and chest which enables the lungs to have added space to breathe deep.
Requires focus to challenge the musculoskeletal system to balance the body.
Helps developing awareness and building power of concentration.
Improves the blood flow in the muscles vital for healthy posture.
In early pregnancy, it is a good practice for strengthening their thigh and pelvic muscles.
Helps in reducing the symptoms of flatfoot.
Strengthens your immune system and relieves joint pains and back pains.
Improves digestion and increases metabolism.
Good preparatory pose for Revolved Chair Pose or Half Chair Pose.

LIMITATIONS

Students with knees, shoulders, neck, hips, spine, or ankle injury can follow the practice under the guidance of a yoga expert.
Who is suffering from chronic knee-ankle-hip injury, back pain, chronic knee pain, or high blood pressure, senior citizens with balancing issues, avoid this pose.
Students with knees-shoulders-or-lower back pain can practice against a wall or by keeping a hip-width leg gap.
If pregnant women are uncomfortable to balance, they can stand normally keeping their feet instead of tiptoes during the practice.