Mountain Pose holds the potential of all poses within it, just as stillness holds the potential for all movement. How a student stands in Mountain, is how she stands in life” ~Rolf Gates
Today, we will take our stand in Mountain Pose. For this meditation, all you have to do is stand. And know that you are standing. Easy right? But not simple. It takes a series of balancing actions. Give and take, push and pull, strength and softening, effort and ease.
Mountain Pose Meditation (recording below)
Begin by standing with your feet hip distance apart. It’s best if you’re barefoot, and for extra credit, do this outside on the bare earth. Root down, feel the ground beneath your feet, and if you feel stable here, close your eyes. Take a moment to settle into this position. This standing here. Aware of standing.
Now pay attention to the bottoms of your feet. Lift your toes, and press down through the ball of your big toes. Press down into the base of your pinky toes. Feel the front of your foot pressing down. Root down through your heels. Let your outer ankles root down, and imagine drawing your inner ankles back. Notice the body engagement you feel by just paying attention to your feet.
Now feel your leg bones. Imagine your leg bones growing longer. Lengthening, reaching up. Lift the pelvic floor. Draw your low belly in. Let your legs feel strong, yet relaxed. Muscles are not tense, but toned.
Feel your tailbone reaching downward, and your spine getting taller. Lift, as if there were a string pulling you up from the crown of your head. Rooting down, lifting tall.
Shoulders relaxed, chest lifted, palms turned forward, fingers energized. Let your chin be parallel to the floor, slightly tucked in to allow for length in the back of your neck. Now…Breathe. Inhale into your strong, calm Mountain Pose. Fill your whole body with breath. Exhale to soften, but stay tall and strong, like a mountain.
Take a few breaths filling from bottom to top, emptying from top to bottom.
Take a few breaths expanding front and back, and softening on the exhale.
Take a few breaths expanding sideways, softening on the exhale.
Stand here now, breathing normally, and notice what it feels like to be standing like a mountain. Unshaken. Undisturbed. Intentional.
In this moment, in this pose, standing in your own footprints, look a little deeper. What do you stand for? Who do you stand for? Is there a stand you need to take?
And now the practice of yoga begins…
Namaste.
*Photo by Alfred Aloushy on Unsplash
