In class this morning I used a cue that comes out of my mouth pretty frequently:

Reach up like you mean it.

Typically I say it during something like chair pose (utkatasana).

If you’ve been to any number of yoga classes, you’ve likely heard this pose cued something like:

“Bend your knees, draw your hips back, and reach your arms overhead.”

That’s because most yoga teachers know what the basic shape of the pose is supposed to look like. But when you only cue based on how a shape looks, you leave out a huge piece of the puzzle. How is this shape supposed to feel? Isn’t that the reason for doing it in the first place?

Most folks hate chair pose because they’ve never been guided into it with intention and integrity. You’re told to reach your arms up, but your shoulders feel tight, your breath feels restricted, and you can’t figure out what to do with your pelvis (tuck the tailbone? stick it out? flatten the back?). So you just wait for the instructor to tell you when it’s over so you can move into the next pose.

When you know how to cue this pose differently, something transformative happens: you feel something happen in your body you’ve potentially never felt before.

Here’s how to take your chair pose to the next level:

1. Stand with your feet hip distance apart and bring a slight bend into both knees. With your hands on your hips, tilt your pelvis forward and back. It’ll move into an anterior position when you tip your front hip bones down and forward. It’ll move into a posterior position when you drop your tailbone and lift your front hip bones. Do enough pelvic tilts so you can feel the difference between each position.
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2. Bend your knees so that they track forward over (or past) your toes. If you’ve got ankle dorsiflexion to spare, use it! Keep your heels heavy as those knees continue to drive forward. Now sit your hips back to balance the forwardness of your knees.
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3. Return to your pelvic tilt. Aim to position your pelvis in neutral. Even though it’s tipping forward in the direction of your upper body (leaning forward to counter the hips being behind you), there shouldn’t be noticeable extension or flexion in your lumbar spine. If you tend toward more of an anterior (butt out) position, you might need to tuck under more than usual to find neutral. If you tend toward a tucked tail most of the time, you’ll need to stick your tailbone out more than what you’re used to.
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4. Once your pelvis is in position, reach your arms up like you mean it. In other words, don’t put them in the air and forget about ‘em. As you reach up:
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   a) Spiral your arms using external rotation of the shoulder. Wrap your outer arms toward your face, spinning your biceps toward the ceiling.
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   b) Straighten your arms! I know you think your arms are completely straight but they likely aren’t. Reach up like you’re stretching to touch the ceiling. Try to feel the energy of that reach originating at your armpits and traveling all the way up through your fingertips.
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5. As you continue to draw your hips back, think of creating a long diagonal line between your tailbone (the bottom of the diagonal line) and your fingertips (the top of your diagonal line). I recommend using the video function on your phone to film yourself doing this. Watch the recording back to ensure you’re getting that line as straight as possible.

Once you’ve got that diagonal line happening, make it longer. Look for the oppositional pull as your hips go back and down and your arms reach forward and up. Ideally, the result is spinal traction—the feeling of your spine getting longer and the spaces between your vertebrae decompressing.

We don’t create that straight diagonal line for aesthetics. Instead, we use it because of how well it drives energy and activation into the pose. The same goes for all movements—when you know where to put your attention, you can create a whole new experience in an already familiar shape.

The key to finding that moment of “ahhhh” in Utkatasana is shoulder flexion. The more access you have to reach your arms overhead, the better you’re able to use your shoulders to traction your spine.

When your shoulders work so well that reaching your arms overhead feels GOOD, you become unstoppable. Think of all the other movements that would get easier…

✅ Downward-facing dog
✅ Wheel pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)
✅ Handstand (along with headstand and forearm balances)
✅ Lifting weight overhead

Not to mention things like…

💪 Reaching up for the highest dishes in the cupboard
💪 Hanging from the monkey bars at the park
💪 Throwing your hands up to celebrate your favourite team scoring the winning goal

The wins are endless. That’s why I hope you’ll join me for Shoulder to Shoulder this week. Join in live or enjoy lifetime access to the recording. Grab your spot here.​

Cecily

ps. Don’t forget, you can also get instant access to Lowdown on the Lower Back (downloadable recording) at registration. It's a perfect complement to Shoulder to Shoulder. Add it to your cart and save 25% off the regular price (click the + to make it yours!).
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pps. I'll post a visual of this Utkatasana walk-through on Instagram so you can see how all the elements combine. Look for it Monday or Tuesday.
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