Wide Squat Pose (Utkata Konasana)

Pronunciation and meaning

Utkata Konasana: OOT-kuh-tuh koh-NAHS-uh-nuh. Utkata stresses the first syllable, and Konasana stresses NAHS.

Utkata means fierce or powerful, kona means angle and asana means posture, so the name is fierce angle posture. You stand with the feet wide and turned out and bend the knees deeply, holding a strong, steady squat with the chest lifted.

How to do Wide Squat Pose

1. Stand facing the long edge of your mat and step your feet wide, about a leg's length apart, with the toes turned out about 45 degrees.
2. Bring your hands to your hips. Inhale and lengthen the spine.
3. Exhale and bend your knees, lowering the hips toward the height of the knees. Keep each knee moving in the same direction as its second toe.
4. Stack the shoulders over the hips and let the tailbone point down, so the lower back stays long rather than arching.
5. Bring the arms out to the sides with the elbows bent at right angles and palms forward, or keep the hands at the chest. Stay for five to eight breaths.
6. Inhale, press evenly through both feet and straighten the legs to come up. Step the feet back together.

Make it easier

• Keep the bend in the knees small and the hands on the hips if the knees or inner thighs complain.
• Sit on the front edge of a sturdy chair placed between your legs, so the pose is supported.
• Lift the heels for a few breaths to make it a stronger balance, or keep them heavy for a steadier one.

Pregnancy and after birth

Pregnancy. Adapt. Many people find a wide, supported squat comfortable in pregnancy. Keep the bend moderate, use a chair or wall, and come out if you feel pain at the front of the pelvis. Check with your OB or midwife.

After birth. Adapt. After your doctor or midwife has cleared you, start with a shallow bend and short holds. If you feel heaviness or pressure in the pelvic floor, come out and mention it to a pelvic floor physiotherapist.

Wondering about yoga safety in pregnancy? Joahnna Lee covers it trimester by trimester.

Common mistakes

• Letting the knees drop inward past the big toes, which strains the inside of the knee.
• Tipping the chest forward and sticking the bottom out, which arches the lower back.
• Turning the toes out further than the knees can follow.

The wide squat pose is a strong standing shape that often appears in Vinyasa classes between Warrior II and the side angle poses. It works the legs and hips while asking the upper body to stay calm and upright.

Because the feet are wide and turned out, it is a useful place to learn knee tracking: each knee follows its second toe. If you know Chair Pose, the narrow standing squat, this is its wide-legged cousin.

How does it differ from other squats?

It stays higher than Garland Pose, the deep heels-down squat, and the spine stays vertical rather than leaning forward. Many teachers move between the two to build strength and then rest it. The same wide stance is used in Warrior II.

What does it feel like?

Most people feel the fronts of the thighs working hard, a stretch along the inner thighs and a steady effort in the hips. The hip flexor stretches routine is a good way to unwind the hips afterwards.