Standing Poses
Mastering Yoga Poses: A Guide to Standing Asanas in Hatha Yoga
By Dennis Bluthardt, Namaste Studios
Hatha yoga, the most basic and likely a key part of your yoga style, strongly emphasizes different asanas (postures). Each of these asanas provides a different static and isometric challenge to the body. From that, you will find that each asana will work in various muscle groups and areas of your energy system.
When you do standing poses, you enter a subset that is generally very difficult on the muscles of the lower body and the core. Warrior I and II will do both. Focus on balance and the intensity of the pose that you are in (especially if you are doing Eagle, Warrior III, or other unilateral poses). Work in this direction, and expect strength, balance, and sanity.
Understanding Yoga Poses and Asanas
“Yoga poses” and “yoga postures” are words often used in their English forms in yoga classes and articles. You can treat them as synonyms, and they are. But there is a bit of a nuanced difference!
“Yoga poses” might refer to the shapes/forms/positions you put your body into during the asana portion of your yoga practice. On the other hand, “asana,” the Sanskrit word often translated into English as “yoga posture,” means much more. As one of the eight limbs of yoga, asanas were intended to bridge the practitioner’s physical and mental capacities and transcend the mind-body connection to our spirituality. You could argue that “yoga postures” (asanas) include more than just the physical practice… They also, by definition, involve your mind and your “soul” or “spirit.”
Asana isn’t about moving your body into a specific shape (i.e., a “pose”). According to my interpretation, the idea is to incorporate proper alignment, which requires additional mental and spiritual effort (parts of you decide whether to push through your body’s physical limitations).
Proper technique (or alignment) is key in doing yoga postures.
You aren’t genuinely doing an asana when your technique is off. You might injure yourself. And you need to get the most out of the practice.
The Benefits of Standing Yoga Poses
Standing poses in yoga are crucial for physical strength. They work all the muscles in the body to create muscular tone and stamina. Engage muscles to maintain positions like Warrior and Tree Pose. They are also crucial for developing balance. Good balance is not only essential for yoga but also for life. Reduce your risk of injury by being more stable and less likely to fall (I balance that book on your head for a reason!). Balance is essential for older people. Good joint health includes flexibility, allowing joints to move through a full range of motion. Flexibility reduces tension in the body and makes it feel good.
But learning the asanas is only half the battle. Learning how to breathe correctly is the other half. Deep breaths are regenerative, and they’re great for reducing stress. It is in standing poses that the dualities of yoga occur: the stretching and strengthening, coupled with the inhaling and exhaling. The standing-breathing-meditative postures of the asana practice of yoga improve balance, increase flexibility, and reduce stress. The practice develops overall body-mind awareness.
Key Standing Yoga Poses in Hatha Yoga
Mountain Pose
Mountain pose, or Tadasana, is the most basic standing pose in yoga, yet it fosters a sense of stability and grounding through proper posture. Lift through the chest, soften the jaw, and line up the head to be stacked on the spine. Distribute the body weight as evenly as possible and stand with the feet together or about hip-width apart to stop yourself from leaning to one side. Engage the thighs and lengthen the neck to maintain that traction and alignment. The arms can be down alongside the body or up overhead. Remember to drop the shoulders away from the jaw to release tension regardless of where the arms are.
Tadasana is an excellent pose that:
Promotes proper posture Encourages full-body alignment Can make the yogi feel grounded and at peace with the Earth
Warrior I Pose
Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) is a classic pose that embodies strength and determination. Start in Tadasana, step one foot back, and bend the forward knee. The back knee remains straight. The torso lifts up and away from the hips as both the arms lift toward the ceiling. As in Tadasana, the shoulder blades are drawn downward toward the midline while the arms reach upward to maintain lift in the upper body instead of “hanging” on the shoulder joint.
Warrior I is a mandatory pose that:
It empowers the body, builds much-needed strength in the quads, glutes, and hip flexors, stretches the front of the hip joint, and promotes upper body flexibility as the arms reach straight up.
Warrior II Pose
Warrior II is an excellent pose that offers something different. It is very empowering and full of focused awareness and determination.
Start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) and step the back leg 3 – 4 feet away. Turn the back foot down at a 45-degree angle. Bend the front knee. Both the hip and shoulder joints should still be facing straight forward. Inhale, raise the arms to the sides, palms facing upward, and exhale as you rotate the hip and shoulder girdle to face the long side of your yoga mat. Rotate the palms to face downward and set your gaze on the front hand.
The front knee maintains the bend you created from Warrior I but tracks over the second and third digits. That means the quad and hamstring must work to keep the knee “up.” While the flat is excellent for balance, the back foot will push off the pinky edge to avoid ankle strain.
Cow Face Pose
Cow Face Pose, or Gomukhasana, is a significant shoulder opener.
Starting in Mountain Pose, lift the right arm next to the right ear on an inhale. On the exhale, hinge at the elbow and drop the forearm down the back of the body so that the hand is between the shoulder blades. Place the left hand on the right elbow to facilitate movement and stretch. If you’re aching for more, extend the left arm out in front of the body, rotate the shoulder joint so that the palm and inside of the elbow face the ceiling, and bend at the elbow to reach the left fingertips to grasp the proper fingertips together.
Tips for Practicing Standing Yoga Poses
People must include preliminary warm-up exercises before they practice standing poses because they prepare the body for advanced movement and may prevent injuries. Mild stretches and mobility exercises increase muscle blood flow and improve flexibility. They also increase general body awareness. Easy warm-ups include neck rolls, shoulder shrugs, and gentle side bends. These will help release tight areas, making transitions to standing poses easier.
Standing positions require balance and focus, so before classes begin, people must understand these concepts. They can achieve balance by engaging the core (slight retraction of the navel toward the spine) and making an equal distribution of weight across both feet. To improve this further, they can keep their eyes in a fixed, straight-line position since this helps improve focus and mental steadiness. Deep inhalation and exhalation breaths help people physically ground themselves and improve their mental and emotional sense of inner calm.
To modify these positions for beginners or people with physical disabilities, they can utilize yoga blocks or a nearby wall for support. They can also stay in a supported seated position. Chair yoga programs modify every standing pose. Once they know these adjustments, they can also learn the modifications for the standing and seated poses on a chair, if applicable.
Standing yoga poses are an essential aspect of Hatha Yoga practice. They help us develop strength and stability, engaging multiple muscle groups to promote correct alignment. They also help us cultivate balance in poses such as Warrior I, Warrior II, and Tree pose. Moving dynamically helps us develop body awareness, which is a great way to get into the physical body. So, these poses provide an overall physical benefit for one’s health, including alignment for spinal health and increasing flexibility.
Apart from the physical aspects of the asanas, the poses center on meditative focus and concentration. As with any balancing practice, we must bring our awareness to the present moment to gain control of our bodies. The contemplative aspect plays a part in managing stress and anxiety. As one goes through the Warrior or Hero series in class, you are likely considering maintaining your balance as you hold on to the pose. Over time, you can deepen your breathing, channel your prana (life force), and strengthen your willpower.
