THE ASANAS Standing
This standing pose is essentially the anatomical
position. It represents how you hold yourself in the
world—your postural alignment. The pose creates a
stable connection to the earth. Many muscles are slightly
engaged to support you upright, resisting gravity.
THE BIG
PICTURE
Although the aim is to activate as few muscles as
little as possible, a lot of muscles in your body
engage subtly in a neutral or lenthening position
to prevent you from leaning or falling in any
direction. Your lower legs, thighs, hips, back
muscles, and abdominals may all be felt
buzzing with this slight engagement.
MOUNTAIN
Tadasana
Arms
Your posterior deltoids slightly
engage to externally rotate your
shoulders, while your anterior
deltoids stretch. Your
supinators engage to make
your palms face forward.
Neck
Your cervical extensors
engage while in a lengthened
or neutral position to keep
your neck long with a neutral,
inward curve.
Torso
Your spinal extensors and transversus
abdominis engage to lengthen and
stabilize your spine. Your
rhomboids
and middle and lower
trapezius
engage to stabilize your
scapulae. Your pectoralis
minor may be engaging
to lift your ribs.
Splenius muscles
Trapezius
Rhomboids
Pectoralis minor
Spine
Spinal extensors
Quadratus lumborum
Transversus abdominis
Rectus abdominis
Shoulder
Deltoids
Elbow
Supinator
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ALIGNMENT
Your bones are
stacked with your
weight back toward
your heels. Avoid
locking your knees.
Your spine is gently
elongating,
maintaining a
neutral curve.
Thighs
Your standing thighs are subtly
engaged. Your gluteus maximus
and tensor fasciae latae stabilize
around your hips, your
quadriceps
extend and stabilize your knees,
and your hamstrings engage
slightly to resist gravity while in
a lengthened position.
Pelvis neutral
Weight evenly
on both feet
Spine neutral
More weight
back toward
heels
Knees soft
Toes spread,
press into
big toe
Center of
gravity
Lower legs
Your tibialis anterior and calf
muscles engage to resist
gravity while in a neutral
position, stabilizing into
balance as you subtly sway.
Tensor fasciae latae
Gluteus maximus
Semitendinosus
Semimembranosus
Rectus femoris
Vastus medialis
Vastus lateralis
Iliotibial band
Knee
Tibialis anterior
Gastrocnemius
Soleus
KEY
Joints
Muscles
Engaging
Engaging while
stretching
Stretching
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CLOSER LOOK
Mountain pose is an opportunity to find a stable, structurally
sound base. The structure and placement of your feet can
facilitate the foundation of that base.
Breathing and posture
When you slouch, you have limited
lung capacity, as well as restricted
movement of your diaphragm. From
a yoga perspective, when you aren’t
breathing well, your prana, or vital
energy, is not owing properly. From
a physiological perspective, when
your respiratory system is not ecient,
neither are your cardiovascular,
digestive, endocrine, or nervous
systems. So, stand up tall and let
your body function optimally.
MOUNTAIN Tadasana
Movement of
the diaphragm
is unrestricted
Limited lung
capacity
Full lung
capacity
Women
generally
have a
larger
Q-angle
16
12
Men and
children
generally
have a
smaller
Q-angle
Shoulder blades
rest on your
ribcage
Palms face
forward
Neck muscles
subtly engage
to stabilize
your head
Hamstrings
maintain muscle
tone for balance
Knee joint
structures are
evenly stacked
Feet at hip distance
Some styles of yoga bring
the feet together in Tadasana.
However, while many modern
asanas were developed for
preadolescent boys in India,
who have fairly narrow hips,
yoga is now predominantly
practiced by adult women,
whose hips are wider. For many
people, standing with the feet
at hip distance is more stable,
decreasing the Q-angle (shown
left) and reducing stress on
the knees.
Fingers are
relaxed and
passive
SLOUCHED
MALE
NEUTRAL
FEMALE
LATERAL VIEW
Restricted
diaphragm
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THE ASANAS
Standing
Pressure points
Your feet are your stable foundation and
connection to the earth. There is a balance
between giving and receiving, with some
muscles lifting the three arches, while the
three pressure points of your feet ground
down. About two-thirds of your weight rests
on your heels, stacking your bones.
Weight evenly
distributed
across front
of feet
Majority
of weight
on heel
Middle and
lower trapezius
engage slightly to
stabilize your
shoulder blades
Upper trapezius
is relaxed
Supinator turns
palms forward
(in forearm
supination)
Calf muscles
engage slightly
to maintain
balance
Gluteus maximus
is subtly toned but
not clenched
Foot arches
The Romans built bridges in arches knowing this
elegant structure would stand the test of time. Your
feet are just as structurally sound, with three
overlapping arches creating a stable yet resilient
tripod base. To activate your arches, lift your toes,
pressing evenly into these three pressure points.
Release your toes, maintaining a lifting energy.
Lateral
longitudinal
arch
Medial
longitudinal
arch
Transverse
arch
POSTERIOR VIEW
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