Urdhva Hastasana – Common variation of mountain yoga pose

Urdhva Hastasana, or mountain pose, is a variation of mountain yoga that stretches the whole body.

Urdhva Hastasana is part of the sun salutation exercise. In fact, this variation of the mountain yoga pose is often overlooked because this pose is quite simple, making the practitioner sometimes impatient. However, if you take the time to explore, you will be surprised by the miraculous benefits that this pose brings.

Benefits of Raised Hands Urdhva Hastasana

The prominent effect of Urdhva Hastasana is to help improve gait, stand, strengthen legs and stretch the whole body. Unlike the usual mountain pose that focuses only on standing, raising the arms in Urdhva Hastasana will require attention to detail.

Not only that, this pose also shows a clear antagonism between push and pull. Because when done, there will be some parts of the body that will pull down while others will pull up. For example, if the legs and feet are stable on the floor, the thighs are stretched or the arms are raised while the shoulders are kept straight.

The Urdhva Hastasana mountain yoga pose is also the foundation for many other yoga poses. Therefore, if done correctly and regularly, you will help your body be best prepared to conquer advanced yoga poses.

Detailed instructions on how to do Urdhva Hastasana

You can touch your hands together or keep them parallel when doing Urdhva Hastasana

• From mountain pose (Tadasana), inhale, move your hands to the sides and raise them towards the ceiling.
• Keep your arms parallel or you can touch your hands together. If the palms are far apart, place the palms facing each other.
• Keep arms straight, eyes towards thumb
• Hold the pose for a few breaths, then lower your arms and relax.

Notes when performing Urdhva Hastasana – Variation of mountain yoga pose

You can modify Urdhva Hastasana to suit you best or increase the difficulty if you’ve mastered it.

• Legs should be kept straight, but knees should not be fixed. Keep the knee flexible to ensure the safety of the joints
• Try to keep your shoulders straight. Shoulders may be slightly raised naturally but don’t let it touch your ears
• Keep your arms straight, parallel, avoiding V-shapes or elbow bends. If you can’t do it, you can hold the V position for the first few sessions and gradually improve over time.

Some yoga teachers may instruct you to lean back after doing the mountain yoga pose Urdhva Hastasana to increase the difficulty. However, you should start with keeping your spine straight and focus on placing your feet firmly on the floor for stability.

• If you have neck problems, don’t look up at your thumb. Instead, look straight ahead. You may not be able to raise your arms if you have a shoulder or neck injury. In this case, you can continue to maintain Tadasana mountain pose.
• Pregnant women and people with balance problems should pay a lot of attention to balance. You can make any modifications to make your body as stable as possible.
• To perform the pose effectively, practice by leaning your back against the wall to feel the connection of each part of your body.

To increase the difficulty, you can turn this pose into a backbend by leaning back and imagining your spine pressing on a ball. Loosen your neck back if it’s comfortable, if your hands can touch the floor, you’ll end up in wheel position. You can practice this movement near the wall, using your hands on the wall to move down to the floor.

If you have a shoulder or neck injury that prevents you from raising your arms above your head, you should avoid doing this variation of the mountain yoga pose. You may feel a stretch, but you won’t feel any pain. Therefore, if you feel pain, stop and try again in the following sessions.

Reference source

How to Do Raised Hands Pose (Urdhva Hastasana) in Yoga https://www.verywellfit.com/raised-hands-pos-urdhva-hastasana-3567131 Access date: 20/2/2021