Chair Pose: The Angle Your Thighs Won't Tell You

Utkatasana — Chair Pose. Sit back. Arms up. Hold. Burn.

The instruction is always "sit like there's an invisible chair behind you." But how deep is the chair? A bar stool? A dining chair? A floor cushion?

The range

Knee angle in Chair Pose should be 100-130°. At 130°, you're barely bending — the bar stool. At 100°, your thighs are approaching parallel — the deep chair. Most yoga classes want you somewhere in between.

But here's the thing: at 130°, your thighs feel like they're burning. Your brain says "this is deep enough." The data says you're barely in the pose.

Weight distribution

The other measurement that matters: are you in your heels or your toes? If your knees extend past your toes, the load shifts to your knee joint instead of your thighs and glutes. Camera tracking can see this — your knee landmark compared to your toe landmark.

The honest practice

See your angle. 128°? That's fine for today. 115° next week? Progress. 105° next month? You're there. No teacher judging. No class comparing. Just you and a number that tells you where your body actually is.