Uprooting · Utpluthih
Utpluthih · 우트플루티히 · 들어 올리기
Primary Series · Yoga Chikitsa (Yoga Therapy) — Finishing Sequence
Breath: 10 · Drishti (gaze): nose tip
Still in lotus, press the palms down, seal the bandhas, and hoist the whole body off the floor for ten slow breaths. The practice's final gathering of strength — shoulders low, counting breaths, the time passes.
Alignment
- Hands — whole palms rooted beside the hips, arms straightening with a strong push
- Feet — the lotus insteps stay pinned to the thighs
- Knees — drawn up off the floor toward the chest
- Gaze — the nose tip, bandhas engaged for ten slow breaths
Entering the pose
- Hands firm beside the thighs
- Exhale, engage the bandhas, press up
- Ten breaths, then vinyasa to finish
Common mistakes
- Shoulders glued to the ears
- Muscling up on a held breath
Modifications & props
- Two blocks under the palms lend the arms extra length — the first sensation of floating arrives much sooner.
- Crossed legs serve in place of lotus — lifting is the bandhas' business, not the leg shape's.
- While the feet stay down, just press and count — reaching ten is itself the practice.
Benefits
- The final summons of bandha, arm, and core strength
- Generates the last heat of the practice
- Ten breaths of mental endurance
Role in the sequence
The practice's final asana and final examination. Into the middle of the meditative seated closure it sets ten breaths of hard lifting, letting the body confirm that stillness and strength are not separate things. From here, one last vinyasa — and only Savasana remains. Which is why ten breaths counted on tired arms feel so long.
Practice notes
Utpluthih means springing up, or uprooting. Holding a lotus, you press both hands into the floor and lift the entire body into the air — the last pose of the Ashtanga Primary Series, and one of the very few built on a single skill, the lift.
Counting to ten, most practitioners lose the breath before they lose the arms. The moment the body feels heavy the breath gets held, and a held breath makes the body heavier still. So what this pose actually trains is not arm strength but refusing to let go of ujjayi under strain. If you did not reach ten but the breath kept flowing, the day's practice succeeded.
On a day nothing lifts, try two things: put the hands exactly beside the hips rather than slightly forward and spread the fingers wide, and draw the knees toward the chest to move the centre of gravity over the hands. Even when the hips never leave the floor, the act of drawing the shoulders up wakes the bandhas.
Two checks: are the shoulders pulled down away from the ears rather than shrugged toward them, and are the elbows softly bent? When it is finished you drop straight into chaturanga for the final vinyasa and travel on to savasana.
Not lifting yet is fine — this builds the press.
Written by Choi Seongjin — 20 years of Ashtanga practice, currently teaching three classes a week. Last updated: .
This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, injured, or have a medical condition, consult a qualified teacher or physician before practising. Disclaimer & Legal Notice
Other poses in this sequence
Ashtanga Shala — Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga guide · Blog
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