The Mountain Pose is a fairly simple and straight-forward asana, however, this shouldn’t undermine the importance and benefits gained from practicing this asana. Practicing this pose on a regular basis will greatly help in improving your overall body posture.
To begin, stand with your feet together and your toes aligned. Your arms should be at your sides in a relaxed position. If this is uncomfortable for you, or you find it hard to balance in this position, feel free to separate your feet slightly, but no more than hip width apart. You should feel your weight evenly distributed between both feet and sides of your body. It may help to first slightly sway back and forth so that you can find the position where you are most centered.
Spread your toes and lift upwards. So, your feet should be pressing into the ground while you are straightening and tightening the muscles in your calves and thighs. Your knees should be lifted, but not locked. There should be a strong feeling of groundedness and connection to the floor.
Bring your navel in towards your spine while at the same time lengthening and straightening your tailbone and spine so that your hips are directly over your knees and your knees are directly over your feet.
Relax your shoulders downward and pull your shoulder blades into your back so that your shoulders are wide and straight. Note that your chest shouldn’t be ‘thrust’ outward when you do this, but rather naturally open and relaxed.
The crown of your head should be directly over your pelvis, with your chin parallel to the floor. I find it helpful to imagine a string attached to both ends of the body, slightly pulling in either direction, helping me straighten. Close your eyes for a few seconds. Do you notice any imbalance? Pay attention to how your weight is distributed.
You can stay in this pose anywhere from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes. Be aware of your breathing as you stand in the pose.
Benefits
- Helps improve posture. This pose can be practiced in everyday situations, such as when you are waiting to cross the street or waiting for the bus or train. It’s a great practice in mindfulness of the body.
- Strengthens thighs, abdomen and buttocks.
- Helps in relieving sciatica symptoms
I’m Nate, a writer, mindfulness practitioner and student of the inner workings of the mind.
Thanks for this Nate. I’ve been practising yoga a lot more recently and feel so good for it, but funnily enough haven’t done this one. I’ll use it next time.
Jen
What’s up Jen? Yeah, a lot of times you might actually here the yoga instructor to have you go into tadasana. I think many might just assume it’s a resting pose where you’re standing. It’s definitely more than that though. It’s a pose that requires us to be extremely mindful of how we stand. I really like practicing it in my everyday life. For example, when I’m waiting for the train to work sometimes I’ll notice that my posture is bad so I’ll go into tadasana and focus on my breath. It definitely helps!
[...] in Tadasana, slowly exhale while stepping your left foot back roughly three to four feet (the longer your legs, [...]