Last updated: December 21, 2023
What Does
Mountain Pose With Bound Hands Overhead Mean?
Mountain pose with bound hands overhead is a basic standing pose foundational to most styles of yoga with a variation in the position of the arms and hands that provides a stretch of the side body, shoulders, arms, wrists and fingers.
From mountain pose – standing with the big toes touching and the heels slightly apart – raise the arms straight in front of the chest and interlock the fingers. Then, rotate the hands so the palms face away from the chest (a common arm-stretch position) and raise the hands straight overhead with the palms facing the sky.
In Sanskrit, mountain pose with bound hands overhead is called tadasana urdhva baddha hastasana.
Yogapedia Explains Mountain Pose With Bound Hands Overhead
In addition to increased flexibility, mountain pose with bound hands overhead has these benefits:
- Provides physical, spiritual and mental grounding
- Improves circulation and respiration
- Improves posture and spinal alignment
- Enhances stability and confidence
- Tones and stabilizes the core muscles
Yogis with shoulder, wrist or arm injuries should skip the bound-hands variation of mountain pose, instead choosing simple mountain pose or another version that does not strain the injury. Those with limited flexibility in the arms, wrists or shoulders may practice a bound-arms version. To do so, stand in tadasana, then lift both arms overhead and bend the elbows, with each hand grasping the opposite elbow. For another variation that does not strain the wrists, extend both arms overhead and bring the palms together with the fingers pointing to the sky.
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