Benefits: Improves posture and body awareness. Enhances muscle tone. You get to channel mountain strength. 
Suffering Scale 2 / 10: Low. No mountain climbing here.

To do Mountain Pose:

1. Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart or a little less.

2. Lift the toes, spread them out a little bit, and plant them back down so your foot has a broader standing foundation.

3. Stand tall and lengthen your body from your feet all the way to the crown of your head, while maintaining even weight distribution on the four corners of both of your feet.

4. Draw the shoulder blades together, down your back, and away from your ears.

5. Let your arms relax and hang naturally by your sides, palms can face forward or towards you.    

At first glance, it looks like you are just standing there, but that’s not the case. Your whole body is working in stationary.

   When doing this pose, instructors tell you to visualize your body as a majestic mountain like Mount Fuji. If you like things more fantastical, you can visualize yourself as Mount Doom from The Lord of the Rings, Snake Mountain from He-Man, or that mountain from Van Gogh’s Starry Night, with an evil castle on top and minions patrolling the bridges.

     Having a strong foundation in standing postures is crucial. This is achieved by grounding your toes and heels into the earth and applying the pressure equally to the four corners of both your feet. Imagine strong roots growing down from your feet, gripping into the ground.  Then stand tall and lengthen the spine all the way through the crown of your head. When you start applying pressure to the four corners of your feet, you might feel only three corners as the heel in back is just one lone corner. But if you keep practicing and focusing on the heel, you can experience each heel’s two powerful corners.