Fierce Pose Utkatasana - Fierce pose australian yoga life 17 Utkatasana [essential guidelines] Align yourself whole heartedly in this powerful pose. • Begin with the easier variations of Develop one-pointed concentration as you strengthen Utkatasana; honestly assess how your body and your will. you feel in the pose before attempting more challenging Asana instruction by Adam Bornstein variations. Come into witness mind. Observe the breath. Is it flowing smoothly? Can you stay present with the asana without either running away or gripping the pose harshly? Can you be in the intensity Utkatasana is a breakthrough pose that emotions and energies are distracted with wholehearted interest? can unleash your inner strength. If and scattered like leaves blowing in the • Give special attention to any approached with clear intention, it will wind, you cannot be in the concentrated potentially vulnerable areas such empower your confidence and help to realm of yoga. Yoga serves to bring as knees, lumbar spine and pierce through any mental, physical or everything back home into unified cervical spine. energetic stagnation, thereby liberating wholeness. u • When you flex your knees, some your vast reservoir of prana (life force). Applied anatomy rotation can happen within the joint. When you are attuned to the direction of With the feet apart, be sure to keep the wisdom guidance within you – with LUMBAR SPINE: A key to safe spinal the knees the same distance apart your energy at your disposal, contained alignment is the action of the lower as the ankles. yet free flowing – anything is possible. abdomen. The rectus abdominis muscle • Ideally, the eyes are relaxed yet Aligning prana to the power of your will originates on the front of the pubic bone focused. In general, wandering eyes is the secret to success in life. and inserts on the lower tip of the mean a wandering mind. The poses are not only physical breastbone and ribs five to seven. This Still eyes will support a still mind. techniques. Each of them is a blueprint muscle runs vertically down the front of Feel your sight originating from for awakening. Intention, willpower, the abdomen. This and other mid- behind the eyes. awareness, alignment and breath are the section muscles serve to stabilise our keys that can open the subtle mysteries centre of gravity, which is located of the asanas. Aligning these elements in between the navel and the pubic bone. yoga practice takes us beyond the The pelvis and spine join at the physical into the grace and depth of our sacroiliac joints. Therefore the spine and true nature. pelvis affect each other. Spinal [warm ups] We can read about Utkatasana to alignment can be influenced from both While Utkatasana is a heating pose gain inspiration, but it is our own the front and the back of the body. in itself, practising a few specific devoted practice that reveals its depth. TO EXPERIMENT: From a standing warm-ups will prepare the body for The taste of a juicy mango can never be position with knees slightly bent, place the asana. Suggested warm-ups: accurately described to you; you must one hand on the lower belly, just above • Cat-Cow: spinal warming. taste it yourself to truly know it. My where it joins the pubic bone, and the hope is that this article serves to further • Setu Bandhasana (Bridge pose): other hand on the back of the sacrum. warming legs and spine. your own inspiration and joy in yoga. If Alternately lift up and release back down you are new to Utkatasana, do not be • Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward facing dog pose): to discouraged if after a few breaths your with the lower belly. Can you feel your develop shoulder flexion. thighs start to shake and you feel like tailbone lengthening downward as you collapsing. The strength to maintain this pull up and moving back as you release? • Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations): warming for the whole body, pose comes with consistent practise. This applied understanding will integrating body and mind. Persevere and the hidden power of the help you sensitively adjust your entire asana will surely reveal itself to you. pelvis and spine in Utkatasana and in • Gomukhasana (Cow face pose): to improve shoulder flexion and to You may find the initial benefits of many other poses. This gentle lift of the open the upper chest. physical strength and endurance lower belly will help you to decompress expanding into your mental and your lower back as well as to stabilise the • Balasana (Child’s pose, arms extended variation): for shoulder, emotional being as well. Mental clarity entire mid-section. Avoid applying this hip, knee and spine flexion. and emotional stability are experienced action in excess. Too much tucking through dedicated practice. You may under of the pelvis will flatten the find your emotions balancing out as you lumbar curve, thrust the pelvis forward, gain the important quality of titiksha put extra stress on the knees and (even mindedness). If your thoughts, constrict the breath. 18 australian yoga life Fierce Pose [warming up – vinyasa style] 1. 2. 3. This flowing sequence will prepare your body and mind for sustained Utkatasana practise. Begin in Tadasana (1). With an inhale. move to Utthitatadasana (2). Exhaling move into Utkatasana (3). With an inhale lift back into Utthitatadasana (2) and exhale back into Tadasana (1). Repeat this sequence a few times, slowly increasing the number of breaths in Utkatasana. Variation 1: grounded and stable • The fingertips will be at eye level facing away from the body, with your palms facing down. This will provide a grounding effect. Keep the knees the same distance apart as the ankles. • Inhale – exhale and move your hips back. • Inhale and feel a rising sensation from the lower belly to the heart. Feel the response in the heart. • Exhale and draw the arms back into the shoulder sockets and release the shoulders from the ears. With this action feel your heart broaden. • Inhale and draw up energy from the earth to flood your whole body. • Exhale back down to the feet, spreading your roots downward. • Breathing smoothly, continue to hold the pose. • Inhale return to the standing position. • Exhale, relax and feel the after effects. Variation 2: aligning with the centre • In this variation the feet, legs and • Inhale and slowly come back to palms are joined together. Tada s an a. • Begin in Tadasana (Mountain pose) • Exhale and feel the after effects. with the feet together. Note: • Inhaling, turn the palms to face • Gaze between the two thumbs into forward, fingers towards the earth. the space where the tips of the • Exhaling, bend the joined knees and thumbs separate. take the sitting bones back, folding • The ideal is to have the palms pressing at the hip creases. together as you maintain a broad chest • Inhaling, bring your arms out to the and collarbones. If you find the chest sides and up past eye level to join collapsing, keep the hands apart. the palms, feeling like you are pulling • Engage the knees, thighs and palms a cloak of light around your body. press, feel your energy move into the The heart lifts. into the centre. centre of your being. You may feel a • Exhaling draw the arms back into • Draw up the lower belly to stabilise the natural Mula Bandha (Root lock) the shoulder sockets and glide the mid-section, while sending the sitting forming in the perineum. shoulder blades down the back. bones back. Find the dynamic balance • As an option, repeat coming into and • Breathing steadily, sustain the pose between these two actions. out of the pose until you are ready to for a few Ujjayi breaths. • As the legs pull in and the palms sustain it with smooth breathing. australian yoga life 19 Utkatasana Variation 3: the next step – arms alongside the head Lifting the arms alongside the ears creates a dynamic line of energy from the tailbone through the fingertips. The hands are in Temple Mudra, with fingers interlocked except the extended index fingers, increasing Crown lengthening upward mental vigour. However, if lifting the along line of spine arms above the head or joining the hands causes a collapse in the chest, return to an easier variation. Steady gaze originating from Stand in Tadasana when finished and behind the eyes Shoulders drawing back feel the dynamic balance within. and down from ears Common errors ERROR 1: Observe the Arms drawing Chest lifting collapsed chest, the back into sockets compressed posterior neck and over- Breath active through side ribs reaching arms. Hips releasing back REMEDY: Open the Fine tuning pelvis by drawing up arms apart, lift the from lower belly breastbone, slide the shoulder blades down the back and lengthen through the back of neck. Thighs drawing into the midline ERROR 2: Observe the pelvis pushed forward and excess weight stressing the knees. Send the exhalations with gravity through the feet REMEDY: Release the into the earth. Redirect sitting bones back, Feet broad and anchored the inhalations upward folding at the hip creases. Feel weight into the earth from feet to fingers. coming back over the heels. If you feel compression in the lower spine, gently draw up on the pubic bone as you lift through the heart. [practising utkatasana] Utkatasana can be practised singularly or included in a vinyasa flow. An excellent way to experience the potency of the asana is to practise it within the Surya Namaskar series of poses. (See photos right for transition.) After flowing through the sequence a few times, come to Utkatasana. Hold the pose and breathe. Feel the energy of the gliding movements being offered into the stillness of the held pose.