Mountain Pose - Hugging In

Mountain pose builds steadiness and confidence, as well as self awareness. After taking the self awareness test, this pose is a great next step to bring light into the dark places, or the blind spots, of your inner vision. It also teaches us the strengthening principle of muscle energy, and the muscular actions described below should be applied to every pose in your yoga practice.

The Secret Life

Mountain Pose, or tadasana, is the fundamental standing pose. It's the earth of the poses - eternally, effortlessly present. When I first began practicing yoga, it seemed like a non-pose to me. Like just standing still. But as the yogic practice of awareness began to sharpen my perceptions, this unassuming posture took on life. The life of myriad plants and animals making their home in the shoulder of the great rock. The life evoked by the sounds of soft wind in deep valleys. Practicing mountain pose is practicing peace amidst the glorious chaos of our lives.

The Pose

1) Stand with your feet at hip width, pointing straight ahead, with your arms at your sides. Let your knees be straight but not locked, and bring your weight to rest evenly on all four corners of your feet. Let your head float comfortably at the top of the spine, in anatomical neutral position. You can think of this as looking right at the back of the head of the person sitting in front of you on a city bus.

2) The following steps should be practiced in every yoga pose, or asana:

We begin all practice of asana with softening, and filling up. Mountain Pose is no different. This is to ensure that our self effort will be seasoned by our awareness of something greater than ourselves and whatever activity we are doing at the moment. Settle your weight into your feet as if you trust the earth to hold you, and let the breath come in, and lift you and support you from the inside. Let it rustle the leaves of the bushes and trees on the mountain.

3) Now, engage your muscles. Hugging in is as simple as that. Starting at your feet, begin to slowly hug your muscles in, around the supported, filled up feeling. Nestling the muscles in close to the bones will calm your nervous system, ensuring your body that someone (you) is making sure all the parts are being kept secure. Believe it or not, this a step toward lengthening your muscles and opening your joints. Keep hugging your muscles in, around your ankles and legs, your hips, your belly and chest, your arms and hands and fingers, your whole body. Then, from deep in your belly, root your feet into the earth, and extend out in all directions like a star.

Try not to overdo. Don't clench your bones, hug them. And please remember to continue breathing. The trick to finding your center is finding the middle. The middle point between the softening and surrender, and the strengthening and effort, is Yoga.

The Sanskrit name for Mountain Pose is Tadasana. It's named after a mountain because of the steadfastness and steadiness its practice cultivates. It is also sometimes called samastithi, or Equal Standing Pose.

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