Yoga for Strong and Shapely Legs - Utkatasana

The picture you can see was taken near the great Mississippi river in Illinois, in a state park. The fresh breeze made it really a good experience to practice there. The previous night there was rainfall and because of that the ground was soft and muddy.

Standing poses give you strength all over the body and especially so in your legs and back. When I started trying the standing poses this pose fascinated me. This pose looks simple and at the same time looks tough. Usually you will feel that the you are lower than it actually is. When you see yourself practicing in front of a mirror or see the picture you realize how you are doing.

Practicing this pose is simple. Stand straight and raise the hands above the head with inhalation. Now with exhalation bend your legs as much as possible. Now with normal breathing stay in this position for as long as possible. This pose will strengthen the arms, shoulders, back and the legs. This also increases stamina.

While practicing at home you can place the back against the wall and practice. This will be more focused towards increasing the leg strength.

After you have stayed in the pose for the duration required come back to standing posture with inhalation.