Mountain pose is often overlooked. It is seen as simply standing. Like many simple things, Tadasana (mountain pose) is misunderstood and taken for granted. Here’s a step-by-step of this foundational pose.

1) Feet together, big toes touching, heels slightly apart (maybe half an inch to an inch). Your second toes should be parallel to each other. (unless your second toes have been badly broken before, like mine; in that case, just do the best you can to make them parallel)

2) Spread your toes, sway back and forth, side to side slightly a few times to really ground yourself into all four corners of the feet and get a good feel for your balance.

3) Slightly life the inner ankles in order to strengthen the arches of the feet.

4) Engage the thigh muscles and lift the kneecaps without locking the knees or becoming too rigid.

5) Lift the pubic bone slightly upward while tucking the tailbone in, lengthening the spine and engaging the abdominals.

6) Roll the shoulders up and back, ending up with the chest open and up, the shoulder blades towards each other and down, all while keeping the core engaged so the lower ribs don’t splay outward.

7) Allow the arms to hang by the sides of the body, palms facing forward, fingers extended and spread out.

8) Keeping the chin parallel to the floor, pull the head back (not leaning forward, looking down, or looking up), ensuring that the crown of the head is directly over the pelvis.

9) Focus on a straight spine. Imagine energy going from the toes upward through the front body, over the head, and downward through the back body, ending, once again at the floor.

10) Soften the face, remove the tongue from the roof of the mouth, allowing it to rest flat, and soften the gaze or close the eyes altogether.

**If you are struggling with balance in this pose, simply move the feet apart until you can balance. Then, as you progress in your yoga practice, slowly move the feet inward until you can balance with toes together, heels slightly apart.

So that is Tadasana, or mountain pose. It allows healing energy to move freely throughout the body, helps with posture and balance, gives the body a strong foundation, improves digestion, relieves anxiety, and can, with regular practice, alleviate neck and back pain. Tadasana is also a great foundational pose for many more yoga asanas, or poses.

It may be cliche to say, but if the foundation is not strong, nothing else can be strong. (Cliches become cliche for a reason…truth!) Take the time to lay a good foundation in anything in life. Focus on the small details, master the “simple” before moving on too quickly. Most of the time, there is more to the “simple” than at first meets the eye. Take the time to get to know every aspect of what goes into your life, only then can you truly curate the life you really want.