Mountain Pose with Upward Stretch

How to do Mountain Pose with Upward Stretch

1. 1Stand with your big toes touching and heels slightly apart, or place your feet hip-width distance for greater stability.
2. 2Distribute your weight evenly across the four corners of both feet and lift your kneecaps lightly to engage the quadriceps.
3. 3Draw your lower abdomen gently in and up while lengthening your tailbone toward the floor.
4. 4Inhale and sweep your arms overhead, either keeping your palms shoulder-distance apart or interlacing your fingers with palms turned skyward.
5. 5Spin your triceps forward and broaden across the collarbones, allowing the shoulder blades to rest softly on your back.
6. 6Lengthen through the sides of your waist and crown of your head without flaring your lower ribs outward.
7. 7Hold for several steady breaths, feeling the dual action of rooting down through your feet while lifting upward through your hands.

Benefits

• Lengthens the spine and counteracts compressive sitting habits.
• Improves overall postural alignment and spatial body awareness.
• Tones the core stabilizers and front thigh muscles.
• Stretches the intercostal muscles to support deeper breathing capacity.
• Gently opens the shoulders, chest, and armpits.

Common mistakes and cues

• Flaring the Ribs

  Engage the core and knit the lower ribs toward the pelvis to prevent dumping weight into the lumbar spine.

• Shrugging the Shoulders

  Draw the shoulder blades down the back while extending through the fingertips to avoid compressing the neck.

• Locking the Knees

  Maintain a micro-bend in the knees so your leg muscles remain actively engaged rather than resting on joint tissue.

• Leaning into the Heels

  Shift weight slightly forward so pressure is balanced equally between the heels and balls of both feet.

Modifications and props

• Wide Stance

  Separate your feet hip-width apart or wider to provide a broader base of support for balance challenges or pregnancy.

• Strap Between Hands

  Hold a yoga strap shoulder-width apart to ease tension if tight shoulders prevent full overhead reaching.

• Wall Support

  Stand with your back against a wall to feel your natural spinal curves and check your vertical alignment.

• Hands at Heart Center

  Keep your hands in prayer at your chest if an active shoulder injury makes overhead extension uncomfortable.

Cautions

• Shoulder Impingement

  Avoid lifting the arms overhead if experiencing acute rotator cuff pain, opting for cactus arms or hands on hips.

• Low Blood Pressure

  Raise the arms smoothly and slowly to prevent lightheadedness or sudden dizziness.

• Cervical Spine Sensitivity

  Keep your gaze straight ahead rather than looking up toward your hands to protect the back of the neck.

If you are working with an injury, pregnancy or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practising this pose.

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