3. Utkatasana: How Low Can You Go?

Utkatasana is the third pose in Bikram Yoga. It does not translate to "How Low Can You Go?" but does mean "Powerful Pose" in Sanskrit - and this is certainly a challening asana, requiring the balance of opposites in the upper and lower body.

Utkatasana is also known as Awkward Pose or Chair Pose and is a strong, grounding standing posture. There are three steps or "moves" in this posture that are all challenging. In the first one, you want to stick your butt out way back, to the back of the room, keeping your arms perfectly straight and keeping 6 inches between your feet and your knees. I'm not sure how long we hold this posture for, but it feels like 30 seconds. You come up the same way you went down and you never lower your arms; they're up for all three postures.

The second posture requires you to come up onto the tips of your toes. Then you sit down as if your hips were sitting in a chair. I can't get down that low yet, but I'm improving with every class. After you're in the chair you come up on your toes even higher. This is when my legs really start shaking, which apparently means I'm building muscle.

The third part is my least favourite, and thus, most challenging. With your feet up an inch, you squeeze your knees together. With your stomach sucked in you go down... all the way down, until your bum is about an inch above your heels. In second set you bounce up and down and then come up. This is the hardest part for me; I usually end up leaning forward or wobbling.

Awkward Pose aligns the whole skeletal system back into center and opens the pelvic area. It aids in digestion, helps combat obesity, corrects immune disorders, and strengthens the lower limbs while relieving sciatica.

Benefits

• Builds concentration and determination.
• Gives you great legs and arms
• Heats and energizes the body
• Strengthens and firms upper arms, abdominal muscles and all muscles of thighs, calves and hips
• Makes hip joint flexible
• Increases circulation in the knees and ankle joints
• Relieves rheumatism, arthritis and gout in the legs
• Helps to cure herniated disc and lumbago in the lower spine
• Increases inner thigh strength, promotion a healthy knee joint

I couldn't find a good video of Utkatasana, but if you want to watch the first part click here.