Mountain Pose: Stand in Your Power

One of the classic foundational yoga postures is Mountain pose, or Tadasana, in Sanskrit. This standing pose is more than simply standing on two feet. Mountain pose, like its namesake, is the essence of steady, unwavering, stability. It is quiet, yet powerful. It sets up the alignment and the energetic engagement to expand one’s personal practice.

Mountain pose holds the essence of strength, resilience, and perseverance. It sets the practitioner up on higher ground to see life through a broader lens of perspective. It is calm, yet mighty and delivers the power to push one toward their goals.

Mountain pose, like all basic yoga postures, is built from the ground up. Standing upright, the feet root into the earth as the crown of the head lifts towards the sky. Everything in between those two points is stacked in alignment. But there is even more to it than that.

Standing tall in Mountain pose is truly an art and is not to be underestimated. People surely stand on their feet every day, without much thought about it. This lack of awareness can be quite problematic. The way you carry and hold your body is crucial! It affects everything else, physically, mentally, and energetically. Learning to stand correctly has numerous benefits for the physical body, the mind, your energy, and all the other vital systems within the body. Small adjustments in your stance can add up to great benefits. So, let’s learn.

First, please understand that all structures that are subject to the laws of gravity and physics require a strong foundation. Your body is no different. It can be helpful to think of the contact points you make with the earth, which is the strength in your structure. A solid foundation is critical. Mountain pose starts with placement of the feet.

Beginners stand at the front of your yoga mat with the feet hips distance. Make sure that the feet are parallel to the long edges of your yoga mat, and that all ten toes are facing forward. Allow a three to a five-inch gap between the feet- you want your ankles stacked below the knees and hips to give you the most stability. Line up.

Draw your abdomen in, place your hands on the hips, and roll back onto the heels. Spread the toes wide apart, like you are trying to get sand in between your toes. Then, slowly release the toes back down, keeping them splayed out wide. Ground. From this action, the inner arches of the feet will lift, creating a mini dome in the arches. Sense that all four corners of the feet are secured down, while the inner arches lift. Now the feet are deeply rooted, and your weight is evenly balanced.

This is a part of the undoing that we must do in our yoga practice! We must undo poor, unconscious physical patterns that have locked into the body out of sheer habit. We have to go back to the basics of our human design. We were designed to move functionally. Nature did a good job. She knew what she was doing! But the evolution of modern living has taken us out of our natural design. Believe it or not, our feet were not meant to live in the confines of shoes! Especially the unpractical, narrow toe, unnatural shapes that most modern footwear trends offer.

Think of your feet as a base for the rest of your body. Taking care to place the feet correctly is the first step in the journey to self-improvement! Build your stable, solid, foundation from the ground up. Learn to spread the toes wide, root down, and create a strong support for the rest of the body.

So now that your feet are firmly rooted in the earth, let’s move up the body with mindful awareness. As you root the four corners of the feet down, the inner ankles lift. The kneecaps lift. The quadriceps and glutes engage, firming the thighs and buttocks. The lower abdomen must draw in to protect the low back. Navel draws in. Heart shines forward. Shoulders square and lower away from the ears. Shoulder blades relax down the back. Crown of the head lifts. Arms just hang gently by your sides. The face is relaxed. The neck is nice and loose, no strain. Gaze is straight ahead.

The feeling is that of drawing energy up from the earth, through the feet, and up the body’s midline/ central axis. Imagine a plumb line coming up through the center of each ankle, up the center of the shins and thighs until it reaches the pelvis. Then imagine the spine in one spectacular long line of energy, right up the medial axis, from the tailbone to the crown of the head. Energy is drawing inward and upward through the body, from the earth to the heavens.

Standing in Mountain pose restores the body’s natural alignment, improving posture. We want to stack the joints from the ground up and keep the skeletal system in alignment, for optimal health and vitality.

To recap, stand with feet hips distance, toes facing forward. Shift your weight back toward the heels, lift up onto the balls of your feet, spread your toes wide, then firmly root them down. Ankles, knees, and quadriceps lift. Lower abdomen and navel draw in. Chest lifts, shoulders square, and relax away from the ears. Crown of the head lifts. Follow all of this information to stack the body properly, and immediately the benefits of the pose are evident through grounding, unwavering stability, and confidence.

Regular practice of Mountain pose is essential to defy the effects of gravity. It is anti-aging. It reduces aches and pains associated with poor posture. Mountain pose aligns and improves the health of the whole body. Beyond the physical, it regulates the digestive, respiratory and nervous systems. It opens and clears the lungs, allowing for deeper, fuller, more complete breathing. It boosts energy levels and improves mental focus.

From Mountain pose, you might hear your yoga teacher call out ‘samasthiti’, a Sanskrit word whose literal definition means ‘equal standing’. When the teacher says ‘samasthiti’ it is a call to the moment, a command to attention. Check in with yourself. Be here now. Center. Bring awareness back to the body and breath. Focus. Root the feet down. Engage the navel. Lift the crown. Stand tall. Lock your gaze straight out in front. Become still. Quiet. Meditative. This tool helps to stay present in your practice and to connect to a deeper state of consciousness.

Standing in balanced stillness, mind focused, breath flowing, one can emulate the majestic qualities of a mountain. Stand tall on your own two feet. Draw the energy in and upward. You are stable, powerful, and capable. Nothing can knock you down.