asana: utkatasana

yogabuch / asanas / utkatasana

utkatasana
„the mighty one“

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last update: 12/30/2018
Name: utkatasana
Trivial name: the mighty one
Level: A

Classification

classic: standing posture
psychomental: _
physiological:

contraindication

effects

Preparation

A cardinal problem in utkatasana can be the flexibility restriction of the soleus (see in the details), which limits the movement in the ankle towards the dorsal flexion needed to hold the plumb bob under the foot between the heel and the ball of the foot. Preparatory postures are indicated here:

  1. downface dog and its one-legged variations, especially with bent legs
  2. malasana Good stretching of the soleus

If, despite correct execution, the muscles of the back become noticeable with high or even cramp-like tension, practise beforehand:

  1. karnapidasana possibly alternating with halasana
  2. parsva upavista konasana
  3. uttanasana
  4. parsva uttanasana
  5. Roll up your back

A flexible shoulder joint in the sense of frontal abduction is required in order to hold the arms slightly back and up and not to tense up in the trapezius:

  1. Dog headdown as a general stretch in the direction of frontal abduction
  2. dog headup as a posture without frontal abduction, which prepares the shoulders for powerful work, especially through correctly executed transitions from and to downface dog
  3. Right-angled handstand as a posture related to the shoulder joints
  4. Back extension, especially the „elevated“ version as a general stretching of the adducting muscles of the shoulder joint
  5. Dog elbow stand as a synergistic posture for the arms
  6. Hyperbola as one of the most effective and efficient stretches in the direction of frontal abduction without exorotation of the arms
  7. shoulder opening on the chair as one of the most effective and efficient stretches in the direction of frontal abduction with exorotation of the arms
  8. purvottanasana if the tone in the deltoid is too high or has become too high as a result of the preparation.

To prepare for the requirement to stretch the back, active postures such as

  1. the „table“ variation of uttanasana
  2. right-angled uttanasana
  3. warrior 3 pose
  4. Head up dog
  5. upavistakonasana in the „pull on the feet“ variation
  6. upavistakonasana in the „with block“ variation
  7. salabhasana

as well as many backbends. Passive postures are also used:

  1. hyperbola
  2. increased back extension
  3. bhujangasana
  4. shoulder opening on the chair

Follow-up

In very rare cases, there is excessive tension in the lumbar spine region after utkatasana:

  1. karnapidasana, possibly alternating with halasana
  2. parsva upavista konasana
  3. uttanasana
  4. parsva uttanasana
  5. Roll up your back

If the pomus muscles feel very tense after utkatasana, you should help:

  1. Half lotus forward bend with change of side; if the stress is one-sided, preferably practice the side where the leg on the same side is on top
  2. Gluteus stretch at the edge of the mat in addition to the half lotus forward bend
  3. hip opener 3
  4. parivrtta trikonasana
  5. parivrtta ardha chandrasana

If the trapezius feels very tense or cramped after utkatasana, this can help:

  1. gomukhasana, possibly with the head tilted forward and sideways
  2. karnapidasana, especially the version on rollers

derived asanas:

similar asanas:

Diagnostics (No.)

(293) Excessive tension in the trapezius

The trapezius, which plays a key role in lifting and rotating the shoulder blades, is probably one of the most tense muscles in Western civilization. Internal and external posture, including today’s widespread VDU workstations, contribute significantly to this. If the trapezius in utkatasana shows a tendency to spasm after only a short time, it must be assumed that the tension is excessive. In utkatasana, this is often in proportion to the resistance that the adductors of the shoulder joint put up against the movement.

(231)(234) Shoulder joint

The flexibility of the shoulder joint can be recognized here, including side discrepancies, and there may be indications of diseases of the shoulder joint.

  1. Irritable hypertonus of the deltoid: ambitious beginners in yoga in particular tend to develop irritation in the deltoid, which is localized in the area of the muscle origins, presumably due to overstraining of the structures through frequent repetitive demands in full frontal abduction and is also noticeable under such stress, see the FAQ.
  2. Various pathological changes in the shoulder joint such as impingement syndrome, frozen shoulder, calcification of the biceps tendon, which cannot all be discussed here and require clarification.
  3. side discrepancies in flexibility

The flexibility of the shoulder joint can be recognized by the degree of deviation in the three dimensions of movement:

  1. Outward deviation of the upper arms with or without flexion of the elbow joint
  2. Loss of rotation of the arms
  3. Incorrect angle of frontal abduction that does not reach 180° or not permanently

(650) Kyphosis and lordosis of the spine:

Deviations from the physiological double-S shape of the human spine become quite visible in this posture. There should be a certain degree of lordosis (convex spine from the front) in the lumbar and cervical spine and at most a small degree of kyphosis (convex spine from the back) in the thoracic spine. The thoracic spine should be able to fully extend, the lumbar spine should be able to be held in its physiological lordosis. If this is not possible, the causes must be investigated. See the FAQ. In this pose, it is often the influence of less favored hip extensors that steepens or even kyphoses the lumbar spine. The greater the flexion in the hip joints, the more pronounced this effect will naturally be. As a rule, this means that the deeper the knee joints are flexed, the more this becomes apparent.

(651) Pelvic obliquity/unequal shoulder height/scoliosis of the spine:

The lateral deviations of the spine from the median plane known as scolioses are also quite visible in this posture. See the FAQ.

(602) Back extension

There may be a lack of strength to keep the back extended during the posture, all the more so the more flexibility-restricted hip extensors kyphosis the lumbar spine. Tension, including cramps and tendencies to spasm, whether caused by posture, occupational or other demands, scoliosis, hyperkyphosis of the thoracic spine or misaligned vertebrae, should be readily apparent here.

(644) LUMBAR SPINE:

Problems of the lumbar spine or its musculature may become apparent in this posture, see FAQ. In particular, less mobile hip extensors that kyphosis the lumbar spine can exacerbate disc problems or cause them to become symptomatic again.

(885) Knee joint

In this pose, knee problems associated with a bent knee joint under load become very apparent. These can be, for example: traumatic or degenerative meniscus damage, arthrosis, retropatellar events such as chondropathia patellae (PFPS) or retropatellar arthrosis, arthritis, subluxations, ligament damage, plica syndromes and others, see the FAQ.

Variants:

parivrtta 1

parivrtta 2

Practicing tilting the pelvis

with block

Heel on elevation

Transition to squatting forward bend

Transition to right-angled uttanasana

Instruction

  1. Stand in tadasana, midline of feet parallel, feet hip-width apart.
  2. Stretch the torso up, raise the arms vertically upwards, lift the shoulder blades with the arms, turn the arms out(biceps past the ears to the back), keep the upper arms parallel and the elbow joints stretched.
  3. Keep the palms of your hands b.a.w. (see details) parallel and pointing towards each other.
  4. Bend the knee joints until the thighs are horizontal. Only tilt the pelvis forward enough to keep the upper body as upright as possible and maintain a physiological lordosis.
  5. Keep the knees hip-width apart and continue to work on stretching the back, moving the arms and straightening the upper body. Straighten your pelvis and upper body and stretch your arms backwards and upwards as far as possible.

Details

  1. The posture of the pelvis should be such that
    1. the thighs can become horizontal
    2. the lumbar spine is „straight“ in the sense of its natural curvature(physiological lordosis), i.e.
      1. there is no excessive hollow back due to the upper body being very upright, but the pelvis is strongly tilted forward
      2. the lordosis of the lumbar spine does not disappear due to an excessively erect pelvis or even a kyphosis appears in the lumbar spine.
  2. If there is a tendency to spasm in the deltoid or trapezius muscles, it is advisable to rotate the arms out as far as possible. To encourage this, the hands can also be turned backwards as far as possible if necessary. The parallel position of the palms may result in only submaximal and therefore often insufficient exorotation of the upper arms due to the limited pronation ability of the forearms. Extending out of the shoulders(elevation of the shoulder blades) is also important for this.
  3. Keep as much pressure on the heels as on the forefoot (see below).
  4. Keep as much pressure on the inner feet as on the outer feet.
  5. Make sure that the front feet do not move further apart, but that the feet remain parallel in relation to their midlines.
  6. Keep your knees hip-width apart.
  7. Use the strength of the back muscles to stretch the thoracic spine, avoiding a „hunchback“ (see below).
  8. Keep the head in line with the thoracic spine.
  9. Depending on the dorsal flexion abilityin the ankles, i.e. the flexibility of the calf muscles (especially the soleus), it may not be possible to assume a sufficiently deeply bent utkatasana without tipping over backwards, see the corresponding entry in the FAQ. In these cases, the soleus is too stiff and requires appropriate work. The angle of the lower leg in relation to the foot (and the floor) is then not favorable enough to keep the plumb bob under the foot when bending far. In the short term, you can therefore work with a small elevation of the heels, which is just high enough to allow the plumb bob to lie on the ball side of the heels again, and no work with the toes is necessary; these should not be used here either. Which material is used for support is of secondary importance, as slipping is hardly to be expected here; if it is, then the heels will slip inwards in accordance with the exorotation moments in the hip joints that often result from the work of the gluteus maximus. It is therefore particularly important that the support provides sufficient stability.
  10. In cases where the hip extensors are less mobile, the effect is that the more the knee joints are flexed, the further the pelvis tilts backwards. The basic aim is to maintain the physiological lordosis of the lumbar spine, which is only possible in these cases if deep bending is avoided. This is particularly advisable in the case of damaged intervertebral discs. Although further movement of the upper body backwards in relation to the pelvis reduces the resulting steep position or kyphosis of the lumbar spine, there is a limit to this, as otherwise the gravity plumb line leaves the physical support base backwards and tipping over is unavoidable. Therefore, only flex the hip joints to the extent that the physiological lordosis can be maintained. The limiting hip extensors are primarily the gluteus maximus, but also the hamstrings due to the different sizes of the lever arms in the hip joint and knee joint if the latter is less mobile.
  11. As long as the pelvis can still be shifted forwards or backwards, the posture is not yet fully assumed. The slight inclination of the upper body in relation to the vertical, which is typical of utkatasana, is a result of the physical conditions: if the pelvis were vertical with the upper body above it, the weight of this part of the body would no longer be able to rest between the feet, but would have to lie behind the heels, which would rule out a stable posture. The more the upper body is tilted forward, the more the center of gravity plumb line shifts forward and the exact position of the pelvis becomes increasingly variable. Conversely, this means that the pelvis must be quite far forward for reasons of the center of gravity plumb line when the upper body is as upright as possible. However, this means a relatively flat position of the lower legs, which usually reaches its limit much sooner than the upper body can be straightened due to limited dorsiflexion of the ankle (only the monoarticular soleus is responsible here due to the clearly flexed knee joint ), so that there is a clear optimal position with the best possible straightening of the upper body exactly where the limit of dorsiflexion of the ankles is reached. Freedom of choice in the sagittal(dorsal-ventral) direction of the position of the pelvis therefore means insufficient alignment of the upper body. The demand sometimes made by many trainers that the knees must not reach forward beyond the tip of the foot is therefore invalid according to the design of the posture. With good flexibility of the soleus and a relatively upright upper body (assuming mobile hip extensors ), this requirement will not usually be met. If it is justified anywhere, it is certainly not in static postures with a moderate load on the knee joint, as is the case here in the form of the partial body weight. In the case of large external weights or larger external weights and many dynamic repetitions, this question can and must of course be discussed. In the case of retropatellar damage, such as chondropathia patellae (PFPS) or retropatellar arthrosis, utkatasana should of course only be performed in the pain-free area.
  12. Discomfort in the ankle should not be of any other kind than stretching sensations in the soleus, i.e. radiating cranially from the Achilles tendon. In addition, a strained to cramp-like sensation may occur in the foot lifts or their tendons, especially if the soleus is clearly restricted in flexibility. On the other hand, discomfort in the Chopart joint, especially in the talonavicular joint, indicates a misalignment in the joint. In very rare cases, impingement in the talonavicular joint is also conceivable.

Known problems that can occur even when performed correctly

Inability to maintain a deeply bent posture due to stiff calves
See above entry
Tendency to cramp the trapezii
See also above

Variants

parivrtta 1

Instructions

  1. Assume utkatasana as described.
  2. Keep your thighs horizontal and bend your upper body forwards until you can press your left elbow against your right thigh just before your knee. The back should remain as straight as possible.
  3. Fold your hands as in namaste and turn your upper body to the right as far as possible, also and especially using the strength of your left arm.

Details

  1. Compared to the parivrtta 2 variation, this variation offers a significantly more powerful rotation of the upper body, as you can rotate on a much shorter lever arm than in parivrtta 2 and the elbow is not included and must be stretched to transfer power from the triceps in order to achieve an intensive rotation. These two advantages allow a much more intensive rotation, but also mean that the pelvis can be straightened much less, so the flexion in the hip joints remains much greater.
  2. Prolonged pressure against the thigh is sometimes perceived as uncomfortable. In this case, the lateral part of the quadriceps (vastus lateralis) and the iliotibial tract are the main areas of pressure. In the case of runner’s knee, the latter may be a little more sensitive.
  3. The lower, flatter position of the upper body often results in less extensibility of the spine, which is particularly noticeable in the lumbar spine, which often remains more or less clearly convex (kyphotic). The short hip extensors, i.e. mainly the gluteus maximus, are responsible for this. The hamstrings only plays a subordinate role here as the hip extensor that straightens the pelvis, although this should not be underestimated if the hamstrings is not very mobile because the lever arm in the hip joint is greater than in the knee joint and the relief of the hamstrings through knee flexion does not compensate for the wide flexion in the hip joints in every constitution.
  4. The position of the lower arm is somewhat reminiscent of parivrtta parsvakonasana, in which the upper body can also be rotated with all the strength of the retroverters in a wide hip flexion with the knee joint bent on a short lever arm without involving the elbow joint.
  5. The pressure against the thigh should not lead to asymmetry in the leg and pelvic area, nor to lateral flexion of the spine.
  6. In comparison to maricyasana 1 and 3, which also promote the rotation of the upper body with the upper arm when the hip joint is bent wide, the upper arm supporting the rotation of the upper body is turned out relatively far here, which improves its ability to promote retroversion.
  7. Due to the rotation of the spine, this variant is contraindicated in contrast to disc herniations(disc protrusion and herniation). This applies even more to this variant parivrtta 1 than to parivrtta 1, as the tendency of the lumbar spine to round convexly is significantly greater than in the latter.

parivrtta 2

Instructions

  1. Assume utkatasana as described.
  2. Keep your thighs horizontal and bend your upper body slightly forward until you can press your left wrist from the outside against your right thigh just before your knee.
  3. Push firmly with your outstretched left arm to rotate your upper body as best as possible.
  4. Reach behind your back with your right arm and push against your left hip from the outside with your right hand to support the rotation of your upper body.

Details

  1. Compared to the parivrtta 1 variation, this variation allows a less powerful rotation of the upper body, as on the one hand the lever arm is significantly longer, which would require a much greater application of force from the retroverters for the same force pressing against the thigh. On the other hand, the elbow joint must be kept extended by the strength of the triceps, which is not easy given the strength of the retroverters, which also include the latissimus dorsi. In most cases, it will not be possible to use all the strength of the retroverters, as the elbow joint can no longer be held extended by the triceps. After all, the middle head of the triceps must use its strength for both the retroversion and the extension of the elbow joint, so its contraction force must achieve an effect in two joints simultaneously, which is about half of what it can achieve when acting in one joint alone.
  2. As in many other postures with comparable arm use, e.g. parivrtta uttanasana and parivrtta trikonasana, great care must be taken here to ensure that the upper arm is and remains maximally rotated in the shoulder joint so that the elbow joint is not stressed in any way other than axially correct, i.e. no varus stress is caused in the elbow joint. On the other hand, only correct rotation offers the maximum opportunity to strengthen the triceps.
  3. The upper body can be positioned much more steeply due to the much larger lever arm on which pressure is applied. The work of raising the pelvis with the upper body using the strength of the hip extensors is therefore largely retained compared to the standard version of utkatasana. It is also much easier to straighten the back in the lumbar spine area, which was much more difficult in the parivrtta 1 version. Depending on your constitution, one or other posture in the back may be more difficult.
  4. Due to the rotation of the spine, this variation is contraindicated for disc herniations (bulging and herniated discs), in contrast to the basic posture. This is less pronounced for this variant than for parivrtta 1, as any tendency of the lumbar spine to round convexly is significantly greater than here. Nevertheless, this variant is not recommended in these cases.
  5. The external pressure of the right hand against the left hip causes extensive retraction of the scapula and possibly a pronounced stretch in the pars clavicularis of the deltoid. If counterpressure against the left hip is not yet possible because the deltoid is quite immobile, the back of the right hand can be placed on the back in the sacrum region. In this case, the right arm can hardly contribute to the rotation of the upper body.

Practicing tilting the pelvis

practise tilting the pelvis in both directions

Instruction

  1. Take the pose as described above.
  2. Tilt the pelvis forward into further flexion in the hip joints until the flexibility of the hip extensors is exhausted or the muscles in the lower back feel uncomfortably tense. The position of the upper body should be maintained as far as possible.
  3. Now tilt the pelvis over the neutral starting position in exactly the opposite direction, i.e. towards minimal flexion in the hip joints with the upper body in the same position.

Details

  1. During both movements of the pelvis, the shoulders and arms should remain as motionless as possible. As the movement takes place in the hip joints and moves the bony pelvis, the upper body will also move to some extent, the further caudally, the more. As a rule, the movement of tilting the pelvis forward into further flexion is easier than the counter-movement, which usually requires noticeable effort from the pomus muscles. If the pelvis is tilted forward while maintaining the shoulder section, a hollow back will inevitably develop and the effort in the short sarcomere length should be felt in the typical way. Only go as far as feels tolerable. The counter movement takes place partly against gravity, the flatter the upper body is against the vertical, the more noticeable this is. The work of the gluteus maximus in particular can be felt well. Try to alternate between the two positions of the pelvis at different speeds and explore the range of movement.
  2. Depending on your flexibility, it may not be possible to tilt the pelvis further towards flexion of the hip joints because the short hip extensors do not allow this. It is possible that utkatasana could not be taken deep enough for the thighs to be horizontal anyway. In these cases, it is advisable to bend the knee joints less, so that there is still room for further flexion and a constant change between concave and convex position of the lumbar spine can take place.

with block

makes you more aware of the work of the arms

Instructions

  1. Analogous to upavista konasana, take a block between the forearms.

Details

  1. The thighs often seem to consume almost all the attention in this pose. It is the arms in particular that need attention because otherwise they will make every possible evasive movement. The block forces a clear shift of attention in favor of the arms.

Heel on elevation

enables a deeper squat with very limited soleus flexibility

Instruction

  1. Place the heels on an elevation. The usual height of a block may be a bit much, but often half the height is enough, e.g. a flat shoulder stand plate.
  2. Take utkatasana as described above until your thighs are horizontal.

Details

  1. The soleus is a large, strong calf muscle whose main function is plantar flexion in the ankle joint. If it is significantly shortened, the knee joints cannot be flexed up to horizontal thighs without the heels lifting off, see the details of the posture description and the corresponding FAQ entry. This restriction does not result from the direct effect of the soleus on the knee joint, but indirectly from the fact that a restrictedly mobile soleus makes the position of the center of gravity too unfavorable for a stable posture. A corresponding elevation of the heel should be found for every degree of shortening of the soleus, with the possible exception of pronounced cases of a true pointed foot (pes equinus).
  2. In addition to this variation of utkatasana, more stretches of the calf muscles should be practiced in the case described, preferably those with the knee joint not extended, as those with the knee joint extended primarily stretch the gastrocnemius! Head down dog pose with bent knees, especially when performed on one leg, is a rather mild pose and usually well tolerated for stretching the soleus; after all, only about half of the body weight is exerted here rather than the full body weight. A one-legged stretch with a bent standing leg on a step has a more intense effect. Malasana is also a useful pose, but in these cases it usually requires you to hold on to an object with your hands to prevent yourself from tipping backwards.

Transition to squatting forward bend

Strengthening and stretching to create a comfortable tone in the lower back (lumbar spine)

Instructions

  1. Assume utkatasana as described. Lower the pelvis and tilt forward at the same time, ideally keeping the arms largely extended overhead.
  2. When the squat position is reached, tilt the pelvis forward as far as possible and place the arms on the floor in a relaxed position as far forward as possible.

Details

  1. In some cases (especially if the back muscles are not very strong or already rather tense), utkatasana creates noticeably increased tone in the back, especially in the lumbar spine and thoracic spine. The transition into the forward bend, as an eccentric contraction with a transition to stretching, is well suited to reducing the tone to a comfortable level.
  2. If the tone of the back is so high that the performer is close tolumbago, this variation should be avoided and only stretching and regenerative training in moderate angles and with lower loads should be practiced for the time being, see the FAQ.

Transition to right-angled uttanasana

Instructions

  1. Assume utkatasana as described.
  2. Hold the extension of the back and the position of the arms relative to the upper body, tilt the hips into flexion so that the pelvis and upper body are horizontal.
  3. Slowly straighten the knee joints. Try to keep the pelvis in a horizontal position.

Details

  1. Depending on the flexibility in the hamstrings, it may not be possible to keep the pelvis horizontal with the knee joint extended, but the pelvis will be able to tilt slightly less into flexion. If this becomes apparent, keep the upper body in line with the pelvis, even if both the upper body and the pelvis are not horizontal when in right-angled uttanasana. It is more important to maintain the physiological lordosis of the lumbar spine than a horizontal pelvis. On the other hand, a very flexible hamstrings allows the pelvis to be tilted further into flexion than horizontally. If the upper body is then brought into a horizontal position, this results in hyperlordosis of the lumbar spine. Of course, this should also be avoided. The upper body can then be stretched from the position reached. This approach costs a little of the possible gravitational effect of the upper body, but guarantees that the hamstrings works at a very long sarcomere length.