Benefits:

For your body:

• Stimulates balance in the center of your body to relax your mind.
• Strengthens your spine by standing tall and breathing for a few cycles.
• It opens blood flow to your muscles to firm and tones them and helps you engage with your whole body.

For your mind:

• It improves concentration so you can let go of moving or having to be anywhere.
• Encourages patience to be here and now and open to the vulnerability of the present moment.
• Builds awareness of the substance of the ground beneath your feet by thinking about how your muscle carry themselves in the posture when they can settle to the bone; there seems to be no effort here.

For your spirit:

• It fires up your confidence in how you breathe and the recognition of your breath at any second.
• When you feel taller and lighter, you feel happier, more confident, and can speak and resonate with more self-esteem.
• Your breath becomes the forefront of your awareness and gives you a deeper view of what a mountain may feel.

(DISCLAIMER: DO THESE POSES TO YOUR OWN ABILITY; YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BODY AND WHAT YOU DO. BE SAFE, AND YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.)

Modifications:

• Separate your feet to a comfortable distance for you and your low back, and parallel your feet {Your second toe and heel line up parallel in both feet}(maximum to hip-width distance).
• Keep your arms to your sides with your palms facing in.
• Keep your arms to your sides with your palms facing forwards.
• Stand on a mat that is padded for your comfort in your joints.

Pose Description:

1. Stand up.
2. Bring your big toes to touch the center of your mat.
3. Separate your heels a finger-width distance. (If Needed, feel comfortable modifying.)
4. Parallel your feet with the line of your second toe and heel.
5. Press all four corners of your soles down into your mat evenly.
6. Lengthen your toes softly.
7. Engage your quads and glutes.
8. Settle your pelvis level to the floor.
9. Hug your transverse abdominous 2 inches below your navel.
10. Stick your hands into imaginary pockets by your sides and extend your fingers to open your shoulders. (You can breathe here to get all the benefits of this pose.)
11. Open your palms to stretch your shoulders wider.
12. Soften your shoulders.
13. Find stillness. ( Option to remain here and breathe. )
14. (Continue to extend arms overhead mountain pose.)
15. Rotate your palms out away from your body.
16. Reach your arms overhead and face your palms toward one another.
17. Rotate your pinky a little toward one another.
18. Draw your shoulders down and stabilize your breath.
19. Lengthen your fingers together to the sky.
20. Relax your jaw, eyes, and tongue.
21. Breathe here for up to 2, 4, 8, 13, or 21 cycles, evenly paced in and out.

Relax, Rest, and Practice Again. You Can Do This! You Are A Yogi!