Raise your hand if you grumble every time a yoga teacher cues you into Utkatasana!

Y’all have your hands raised, right?

I would be right there with you, however, at this point in my life I actually enjoy the shape! That’s probably because my practice has been 99% self-led and I’m not doing it 10,000 times in a 60 minute practice…

I also think it’s because I’ve tinkered with the shape so much that I’ve finally found a version of the shape that feels right in my body. Have you taken time to tinker with your Utkatasana?

Sometimes called Fierce Pose or Chair Pose, Utkatasana is pretty prominent in most vinyasa classes. As with a lot of common shapes, when I take guided classes I seem to receive a variety of cues regarding the alignment of the pelvis.

Am I supposed to tuck the pelvis under or stick my butt out behind me?

First, I will eventually give you my opinion on this question, but I want to make it clear that it simply depends on your intention. I won’t say one approach is wrong or bad and one approach is correct or good. All bodies are different, all yoga students have different experiences, and we all are going to approach shapes in different ways based on our individual needs.

Let’s look at the two most common approaches…

Option #1: Tail Back & Frontal Hip Points Down

frontal hip points rocked forward & down over thigh bones.png

Considering the shape is sometimes referred to as Chair Pose, think about what happens in your body when you sit into a chair. You stick your butt behind you and naturally your frontal hip points drop forward over your upper leg bones and your upper body moves slightly forward, right? Right!

This approach puts you into the natural movement of sitting back into something.

Also, this approach follows the natural lumbar curve that most (note - not all) spines already have. Rather than flattening the curve of the spine, your lower spine can just do its thing. Sure, the lumbar curve might be increased, but there’s actually nothing wrong with some increasing of the lumbar curve.

Optional #2: Front Hip Points Up & Tail Under

frontal hip points rocked forward & down over thigh bones (1).png

“Tuck your pelvis” is thankfully a cue that is slowly dissipating like “pull your shoulders away from your ears”. However, this option is kind of the tuck your pelvis option. In this approach the frontal points are drawn up toward the lower ribs.

Some folks find this approach helps alleviate lower back discomfort as the lumbar curve is decreased. Along those same lines, you might find that your upper body can get longer and lift up more when the frontal hip points are pulled up. I mean… look at me! I look way taller than 5’2.5” in this approach!

Lastly, you might find that your anterior core - abdominal muscles - are more inclined to turn on when you pull the frontal hip points up. This approach might limit the ribs from pushing forward.

My Two Cents…

Just so we’re clear IT DEPENDS! All bodies are different and yoga is not a one-size fits most situation. In a shape like Utkatasana, the position of your pelvis might be affected by how closer/far apart your feet are placed and/or how you’re placing your arms.

To lay the foundation for my two cents, I want you to know my brain loves to categorize things. I often categorize shapes based on the orientation of the pelvis and its relationship to the legs and spine. While acknowledging that not all shapes will land in a clear category, Utkatasana could be categorized as a forward folding shape. What do most forward folding shapes have in common? The frontal hip bones rock forward over the thigh bones. And that is exactly what is happening in Option #1 of Utkatasana - sitting bones back and frontal hip points dropped forward and down.

In defense of Option #2, I actually think there’s elements of that approach that are important. As mentioned previously, a lot of folks have told me they feel pressure in their lower back when they focus on rocking the frontal hip points forward. I totally get that. And some might pull the hip points up to alleviate lower back pressure to “engage the core”. I get that too. But what if there was a different way to engage your core without changing the position of the pelvis?

frontal hip points rocked forward & down over thigh bones (2).png

Before you go any further, please marvel at my incredible “graphic design” skills. Ooooh! Aaaaah!

Imagine the rectangle to the left is your torso. You’ve got your head above and your legs below. On the sides you have your ribs and at the bottom of the rectangle is your pelvis. Now imagine this rectangle was pitched forward as your knees bent into Utkatasana. Your sitting bones move back and frontal hip points rock forward over the thigh bones. Without actually changing the position of your pelvis think of pulling the right and left sides of your ribs together. Then think of pulling your lower ribs and frontal hip points together. What do you feel?

All of that “think of” stuff is an action - not a movement. Pulling your frontal hip points up and tucking the pelvis under would be a movement. You can still gain the desired outcomes that many people are seeking in Utkatasana - engaged core, supported lower back, etc. - without actually changing the position of your pelvis.

As with a lot of common yoga shapes, I feel like yoga teachers simply parrot what they were taught in training and don’t think twice about it. That was 100% me 12 years ago! And that’s fine! With time my hope is that teachers and students can think more critically about how they’re approaching shapes and really peel apart the various elements of the shape.

Before I jump off my Utkatasana soap box, my thoughts on the pelvic position in Utkatasana takes into account that there’s not added load or force in the shape. Meaning I’m not talking about the position of the body while holding weight. The assumption is you’re just working with your own body weight. And, lastly, can we all agree that our bodies are incredibly resilient and we don’t have to worry about “protecting the lower back” when doing Utkatasana?

— Fin —