Yoga Poses Mountain Magic: Transform Your Practice with These Insider Secrets!

As far as Yoga poses go – Mountain Pose also known as “Tadasana” in Sanskrit is a foundational posture that although looks simple, is actually pretty complex.

Tada (meaning “mountain”) and asana (meaning “pose”) is also known as Samasthiti, which translates to “equal standing”.

Tadasana is an excellent beginner to advanced yoga pose because it strengthens the muscles in your legs, core and back, improving your posture.

The mountain yoga pose is the foundation of many other poses you will practice in the quest for inner peace.

So, the idea is to get the basic’s right and the rest will flow much more easily.

You’ll feel grounded and centred when you use your mindful breathing techniques along with the mountain pose.

I’ll go into more detail about the many other physical and mental benefits when you perfect this foundational yoga pose.

How To Get Into Mountain Pose

Your perfect Mountain Pose is a series of simple but very specific steps.

Follow the instructions below to make sure you’ve got everything covered when getting into this foundational yoga posture:

1. Begin with Body Alignment start by standing at one end of your mat with your feet together (or if this is hard hip-width apart). Move around until you feel like your weight is evenly distributed on both legs, and squeeze your thigh muscles.
2. Tighten Core Muscles Squeeze your abdominal muscles and draw your navel towards your spine. This creates a stable foundation for the pose.
3. Drop Shoulders Let your arms hang down by your sides with palms facing forward. Conciously drop your shoulders and open up your collarbones.
4. Stretch Spine Lengthen your spine, pulling up from your tailbone right through to the crown of your head. Just pretend there’s a string pulling you upward from your crown (like a puppet), making space inbetween your vertabrae.
5. Look Ahead Find a focal point that you can look at that is straight ahead. This will help you to keep balanced.
6. Distribute Weight Become aware of both feet, push down through the four corners of your feet, and make sure you’re distributing your weight evenly. Next lift your toes and spread them apart, then put them back down.
7. Lift Arms Inhale and lift your arms up, turning the palms to face inwards to shoulder height, bringing the arms into a H position.
8. Exhale and relax the Shoulders down from the ears while still reaching the crown and fingers up.
9. Breathe and hold this pose for 4-8 breaths.
10. To Release exhale and bring your arms down to your sides or bring your palms together in front of your chest.

Who Should Not Do Mountain Pose

Mountain pose if usually safe for everyone of all ages. If you’ve had any of these recently it might be best to have a chat to your doctor before you get started. Otherwise think about modifying it for your safety.

• Pregnancy
• Low blood pressure
• Recent injuries or surgery
• Headache
• Vertigo or Dizziness

5 Benefits of the Mountain Pose

As you might know I often rave about the benefits of yoga. But it’s not just me, Andreia Esteves a yoga instructor also believes strongly in the benefits of Mountain Post. So, I decided to just give you a few specific benefits for Mountain pose.

1. Postural Awareness Mountain Pose increases your awareness of your posture (or how bad it is) by aligning the spine and improving self confidence and overall body awareness. It can be eye-opening when you begin to get into this pose and realise how hunched you were before it.
2. Improved Focus and Concentration When you choose your focal point to look at while doing this pose to keep your balance the other benefit is it takes focus and concentration. This has a big impact on calming the mind and improving our mental clarity.
3. Feel Energized The mountain pose encourages a deliberate connection with the breath, this increases your oxygen intake and overall energy levels. I love this because it’s always hard to believe such a peaceful pose can bring us energy!
4. Strengthens Legs and Core Holding the pose uses some muscles you may not activate often, particularly the muscles in the legs and core. When you use these muscles it helps to increase your overall strength and balance.
5. Improves Posture Regularly practicing Tadasana will help correct any poor posture habits we might have. This can relieve back and neck pain associated with slouching.

Common Mistakes You Should Avoid

Collapsed Arches Be aware of your foot arches; don’t let them collapse. Make sure you maintain a solid connection with the ground through your entire foot.

Hunched Shoulders Try to keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears. Avoid hunching over forward, because this won’t allow your spine to stay in alignment and straight.

Overarching the Back: When you’re stretching up with your spine, be cautious not to overarch the lower back. Remember to squeeze your core muscles so you can support a neutral spine.

Holding your Breath Just don’t forget to breathe. This is a very common thing that many of us do – holding your breath creates tension in the body and lowers the relaxing aspect of the pose.

Locked Knees: Concentrate on not hyperextending your knees. Keep a very slight bend in the knees to prevent straining them.

FAQ’s

How long should I hold the Mountain Pose?

Beginners should start off with 30 seconds to a minute, slowly increase the time as you become more confident and comfortable with the pose.

Is it normal to feel a bit wobbly in Mountain Pose?

Yes, especially for beginners. Focus on grounding through your feet and squeezing those core muscles for beter balance. Another modification you can do to make it easier is to move your feet to hip width apart instead of together.

Can Mountain Pose be done by people with knee issues?

Refer to a healthcare professional, but in lots cases, Mountain Pose can be modified just by keeping a slight bend in the knees.

Can Mountain Pose help with anxiety?

Yes, being conscious of your breathing and the relaxation aspects of the pose can help improve your anxiety symptoms by promoting relaxation and mental clarity.

Can Mountain Pose be done during pregnancy?

Yes, with alterations. Pregnant ladies should keep a hip-width stance and avoid overstretching.

Conclusion

The Mountain Pose stands as a testament to the power behind such simple yoga poses.

We suggest including this foundational posture into your daily practice to lay the groundwork for your physical and mental well-being.

By understanding the correct alignment, being aware of its benefits, knowing the contraindications, and avoiding common mistakes, you can master the Mountain Pose.

I believe you’ll also find strength, self confidence, better balance, and serenity along the way.

Tadasana offers a timeless invitation to stand tall and embrace the beauty of the present moment.