Fierce Pose

Utkatasana OOT-kah-TAHS-anna, fierce pose or chair pose, is another favourite of mine. It is very challenging because it uses so many muscles at one time. Depending on your core strength you may feel it more in the legs, or shoulders. You can feel it's effects in the hips and lower back as well. You want to have your spine straight and as lengthened as possible. As always focusing on breathing is essential. Your chin should be over your knees and your nose should be over your toes. Drishti (gaze): thumbs. Your weight should be back, grounding into the heels and shoulders are relaxed down. Have your feel together ideally, but for beginners hip-width apart is fine. The resistance of gravity and finding a balance are the obstacles with this pose.

Muscles working:

Spine: intertransversarii (small muscles in between vertebre), interspinalis, transversospinalis group (all down the back), erector spinae psoas minor.

Shoulders and arms: upper trapezius (lower neck, upper shoulderblade) , serratus anterior (side of upper ribs), deltoids (sholders), biceps, triceps, abs.

Legs: gluteus medius and minimus, quads, tibialis anterior and soleous (shins, calfs), intrinsic feet muscles.

Gita Verse:

Chapter 3 Verse 32

Sri Krishna:

Those who violate these laws, criticizing and complaining, are utterly deluded, and are the cause of their own suffering.

The laws that Krishna is referring to is staying free from the "fever" of the ego. For a lot of us our ego runs our life. You can distinguish your ego by recognizing it as the voice in your head that judges, complains, wants and decides based on those wants. What I think Krishna is trying to say here is that we choose whether to listen to this voice, and those who constantly do are deluded into thinking that there is no other voice. Listening to the ego is a choice because we attach meaning in our lives, and we choose what is important and what we can let go. If it were up to the ego everything would be a big deal, the ego is chronically dissatisfied and that is a recipe for a very stressful life.

Namaste.