Chair Pose (Utkatasana): Steps, Benefits & How To Do It

Utkatasana, or Chair Pose, looks like sitting back into an invisible chair. You bend your knees, sink your hips and reach your arms up while keeping your chest lifted and spine long. It is a strong, warming pose that works the thighs, glutes, core and shoulders together, building leg strength and stamina. We teach it with careful knee and back alignment, women-first, in Kolathur.

How to do it

How to do Chair Pose, step by step

1
Stand tall
Begin in Mountain Pose with the feet together and the arms by your sides.
↑ Inhale
2
Sit back
Bend the knees and sink the hips back and down as if sitting into a chair, the weight in the heels.
↓ Exhale
3
Reach the arms up
Sweep both arms up overhead alongside the ears, lift the chest and lengthen the spine.
↑ Inhale
4
Hold and rise
Hold with the thighs working and the gaze forward, then press through the feet to straighten the legs and release.
• Hold

The breath leads the movement: inhale as you open and lift, exhale as you fold and lower. One full round repeats the sequence leading with the other leg.

Benefits

What Chair Pose is good for

✓Strengthens the thighs, glutes and calves
✓Builds core and lower-back strength to support the spine
✓Engages the shoulders and upper back as the arms reach up
✓Develops stamina, heat and steady focus
✓Improves overall standing stability and endurance

What it works

Muscles and chakrasbody and energy

Muscles worked

Quadriceps
Gluteals
Core and abdominals
Spinal erectors
Calves
Shoulders and deltoids
Hamstrings

Brighter violet marks the muscles this pose works most.

Chakras activated

RootMuladhara
Solar PlexusManipura

These are traditional energetic associations, not medical claims.

Stay safe

Who should take care

Ease the depth of the squat if you have knee pain, arthritis or a recent knee injury
Keep the bend gentle and the core engaged if you have a sensitive lower back
If you have a shoulder issue, keep arms lower rather than fully overhead

This is general guidance, not medical advice. If in doubt, check with your doctor.

Keep going

Learn this at Anand Yoga Centre

Practise it properly with Sailaja, who adjusts each person in a small women-only class in Kolathur.

Book on WhatsApp See classes

Reviewed by Sailaja Anand, yoga instructor at Anand Yoga Centre. Last updated 2026-06-14.

Questions

Chair Pose: common questions

What muscles does Chair Pose work?

Utkatasana mainly works the quadriceps, glutes, calves and core, while the shoulders and upper back engage as the arms reach overhead. It is a strong, whole-body standing pose that builds lower-body strength and stamina.

Why does Chair Pose feel so hard?

Holding a deep knee bend asks the big leg and core muscles to work steadily against gravity, which builds heat quickly. That intensity is normal. Start with a shallow bend and a short hold, then deepen gradually as your strength grows.

Where should my knees be in Utkatasana?

Keep your knees pointing in the same direction as your toes and your weight back towards your heels, so you can wiggle your toes. Avoid letting the knees collapse inward. Sit your hips back as if reaching for a chair behind you.

Is Chair Pose safe for sensitive knees?

It can be, with care. Reduce how far you bend, keep your knees tracking over your toes and your weight in your heels, and stop if you feel sharp pain. If you have a knee condition, check with your doctor and tell your teacher so we can adjust the depth.

Do I have to raise my arms overhead?

No. Raising the arms adds shoulder work, but you can rest your hands on your hips or keep arms parallel and lower if your shoulders or neck feel strained. The leg and core work stays the same either way.

Chair PoseUtkatasana