Beginner’s guide to mastering the Mountain pose

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The Mountain pose is the beginner’s routine which lays the foundation of all yoga-standing poses. The mountain pose takes its name from Tad asana.

It is basically the asana which requires you to keep your arms on the sides of the body while the mind assimilates all the energy from the floor and takes it up from the upper torso, back, and head all the way to the crown.

WHY SHOULD YOU DO IT?

The Mountain pose focuses mainly on muscles of the thighs. It helps to reduce flat-feet and improves sciatica. If you want to work your clumsy posture like a bent back or inverted back, you should practice the mountain pose more often. It also strengthens the abdominal muscles, thighs, knees, ankles and arms.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

The pose is contraindicated in conditions like headache, low blood pressure and sleep disturbances.

STEP ONE

Stand still to touch the bases of your big toes to the floor. Keep heels slightly away and lift your feet up from the floor, then gently place them back down. Sway back and forth on the balls of your feet with equal weight distribution on both feet. While practicing this pose, keep your hands on the sides; the palms should extend downward and outward.

STEP TWO

Raise your knees while keeping your lower belly loose. Assimilate energy into your knees while you lift the inner ankles and imagine the energy travelling up to your thighs and groin. Now take the energy all the way to your neck, head and crown. Lengthen your lower back and lift the pubic bone away from the floor.

STEP THREE

Extend your shoulder blades back, then widen them and release them down your back. Lift the top of your chest toward the ceiling, widen the shoulder blades and hang your arms beside the waist.

STEP FOUR

Keep your head in-line of the pelvis, with the chin parallel to the floor. Gently release all pressure from your eyes, lips and keep the tongue flat and relaxed.

STEP FIVE

Stay in this pose for about thirty seconds to one minute and then slowly let go of the pressure points.

Beginners can start off with the pose by keeping the knees about three to five inches apart. Bending the inner kneecaps inward can be a challenge at first but you should work on it gradually, rather than making it perfect the first time.

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