Baddha Parsvakonasana (Bound Side Angle Pose)
Inhale and step your left leg straight back into a lunge from Utkatasana. Open into Virabhadrasana II as you exhale. It's a stance you've probably done a million times before, but you haven't done Warrior II like this before, so be cautious.
Take a moment to feel the weight of your feet on the floor once more. Relax your mouth and neck. You might feel as if you could stay here forever, riding confidently in the saddle of your warrior seat, if you discover the appropriate level of exertion—not too much, not too little.
You'll need to do a series of arm rotations to establish fluidity, awareness, and precision in your shoulders, chest, and upper back before proceeding into Baddha Parsvakonasana. Arm and leg rotations usually start at the base of the limbs. Invite your shoulder blades' inner bottom edges to move toward one other, lift your armpits, and roll your shoulders.
To establish external rotation of the arms, bring your shoulders back. Your palms will spin upwards, and your chest will feel larger. By separating the shoulder blades and sliding the shoulders forward while turning the palms back, you may reverse this. Internal rotation shuts up the chest while broadening the upper back.
Some yoga poses may come to you quickly and easily, with little struggle in flexibility or strength. Other poses can feel nearly impossible, even after years of practice. Utkatasana (Chair Pose) falls into a category of its own: It looks deceptively easy and straightforward; yet, when you try it, you’ll find it demands a great deal of flexibility in the shoulders as well as stability in the core and strength in the legs.
That is the challenge of Chair Pose. Its simple form offers little promise of glory. For all the effort it requires, you won’t end up with your leg wrapped behind your head or in some other fancy position. When I teach Chair, at first it produces more frowns and even moans than almost any other pose. Yet when I ask my students to persevere, they are always glad they did. It’s hard while you’re in it, but in the end this pose brings a satisfying sense of accomplishment. It teaches you the determination you need to meet a challenge and the perseverance to return to it repeatedly over time, despite its difficulty.
Chair Pose will strengthen your thighs, helping to stabilize your knees. Your ankles will become more limber and sturdy, and your arms and shoulders will gain power and flexibility. As you reach your arms up and stretch the muscles between your ribs, you’ll increase your breathing capacity. The pose can also help improve your posture. All of the core muscles fire as you hold the pose, lifting your pelvis into a more upright alignment and working against the tendency to exaggerate the arch of the spine as you reach up and back with the arms. Whew! Sound like a lot? That’s the point of Chair Pose: You learn to handle many actions all at the same time for what feels like way too long.
It’s helpful to practice Chair in two parts. First, practice the pose with the lower half of your body. Before adding the arms, work on bending your knees toward a right angle while shifting your weight back into your heels. Then, stand tall in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) and work on extending your straight arms up and overhead without letting your rib cage jut forward or your back overarch. Finally, you can bring all the elements together into a cohesive and powerful whole. Unite the work of the legs and arms by bringing your awareness to your torso as you lift your core muscles and lengthen your spine.
If you commit to a steady practice, you will gain stamina in this pose after a few months. When you take a break from your practice, it might feel as if all of your progress is gone once you return to the mat. If this is your situation—if your muscles are burning in Chair and it’s a sweaty struggle of will—don’t be discouraged. The pose is teaching you its most important lesson and a key concept in yoga: Steady practice over time is better than occasional, intense spurts. It’s worth maintaining a regular daily practice rather than feeling like you have to start all over again each time you do a pose. Consistency in yoga yields deep and lasting results.
Feeling fierce? Utkata means “powerful” or “fierce,” and while this pose calls for fiery power in the body, it’s best practiced with a cool mind. Notice if you crunch your brow or clench your jaw; if so, relax them. If your breathing starts to turn into panting, lengthen your exhalations. You’ll feel cooler and more focused.
