Mountain Pose is one of the foundational basic yoga poses. Here’s how to do it right…

Wait, there’s a right way and a wrong way to to Mountain Pose?

Mountain Pose (Tadasana) is one of the most basic yoga poses, and it may even be the first one you are introduced to in your first yoga class. At first, it seems so basic it might seem like a no-brainer. But in fact, there are definitely a few mistakes that can be made with this pose, and in order to achieve all of the benefits it can provide, it’s important to understand how to do it correctly from the start.

Despite its simplicity, this pose has a number of benefits, including improving posture, strengthening your abdominal muscles, improving circulation, boosting your energy, and preparing you for other standing yoga poses.

Here are some tips from Yoga.com for making sure you’re doing this basic yoga pose correctly:

1. Stand up straight, your legs together, the outer edges of the feet parallel to each other. Spread the weight of your body evenly between the heels, the toes, and the balls of both feet, keep your toes spread wide.
2. Engage your legs and lift your kneecaps.
3. Straighten your shoulders, open your chest, straighten your neck. Bring your pelvis toward the navel.
4. Arms. Here there are several options: 1) Relax them beside the torso 2) Fold your hands in Namaste 3) Raise the arms up past your sides, palms facing each other. Stretch your torso upwards.
5. Relax while maintaining your stability. Don’t forget to breathe.

Beginner tip: It may be hard for some people to stay balanced with their feet together. In this case, you may place them a few inches apart. But make sure the outer edges of your feet stay parallel.

Mistakes to avoid: Don’t lift your chin up and don’t bring your lower back forward.