Revolved Chair Pose, Parivrtta Utkatasana, (par-iv-rt-tah oot-kah-TAH-sah-nah)
parivrtta (revolved) + utkata (fierce) + āsana (pose)
Also known as: Revolved Powerful Pose, Twisting Chair Pose, Chair Twist Pose
Pose Type: Strengthening, Balancing, Standing, Twisting
Difficulty: Intermediate
Strengthen your lower body and find a lightness in your spine and shoulders as you find a gentle twist in Revolved Chair Pose
Revolved Chair Pose Fundamentals
Revolved Chair Pose is a quintessential pose for tapping into our Root to Rise.
Root to Rise refers to a balance between our outward and grounding energy (apana vayu), and our inward and upward-moving energy (prana vayu).
This balance of energies can be experienced and played with as we come into Revolved Chair Pose and ground through the earth to harness and create stability, and look inwards to create space and lightness in our spine as we deepen our twist.
When we balance our grounding energy and our upward-moving energy, Revolved Chair Pose becomes harmonious, and (dare I say) easy.
Revolved Chair Pose Benefits
- Strengthens your legs, glutes, lower back, feet, and ankles.
- Increases range of motion in the ankles.
- Improves balance as you gaze towards the sky.
- Brings length and awareness through the spine.
- Expands the chest, improving posture.
How To Do The Revolved Chair Pose: Step-By-Step
How To Get There:
1. Begin in Tadasana (Mountain Pose).
2. Inhale and lift your arms over your head in line with your ears.3. Exhale and shift your body weight back into your heels. Bend your knees and shift your hips down and backward into Utkanasana (Chair Pose).
4. Keep your knees in line with your ankles, pull your thigh bones back into their hip sockets, and go low.
5. Exhale and bring your hands to Anjali Mudra (Prayer Pose) in front of your heart space. As you take a deep inhalation, stretch up through the crown of your head to lengthen the spine.
6. On your next exhalation, carve a line with your left elbow, bringing it to rest on the outside of your right thigh. Keep the tension in your palms.
7. Reach your elbow as far down as it will go, and pull your palms toward your navel. Roll your belly, chest, neck, and face up towards the sky. Open the chest.
8. Hold Revolved Chair Pose for five breaths. Exhale to unwind. And switch sides.
Tips And Tricks:
- Be aware of not letting your knees move infront of your toes. Press back into your heels to avoid shifting your weight forward.
- Be conscious of keeping your knees in line with one another. In Revolved Chair Pose it is common for one knee to inch out a little further out infront of the other. Keep alignment and awareness throughout the legs by pulling your thighbones back.
Revolved Chair pose variations: Revolved Chair Pose Arms Extended
1. Once you arrive in revolved chair pose, there is the option to spread your arms up towards the sky and down to the earth.
2. Maintain one long straight line through the length of your arms. Press your left arm back against your right thigh to deepen the twist.
3. Press the fingertips of your left hand down into the mat. If this isn’t available to you, use a block here, bringing the earth to you.
Precautions & Contraindications:
Ankle, hip, or shoulder injury:
If you are injured and experience pain as you come into Revolved Chair Pose, gently come out of the pose and take a few minutes to rest.
Knee Injury:
Although this pose works to strengthen the supporting joints and ligaments around the knee, if your knee injury is new or chronic, it may be best to avoid Revolved Chair Pose. However, if you are recovering from a knee strain, any Chair Pose variation could help to support your knee rehabilitation.
Remember to listen to your body.
Related Poses
Preparatory Poses:
Tree Pose
Counter Poses:
Wide Legged Standing Forward Bend
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