Health is not merely the absence of disease but is an active expression of life. Yoga is a way of living and provides holistic health. Today countless people are opting for yoga asanas because the benefits of being a regular yoga practitioner are innumerable. Yoga improves our health and wellness, gives strength, stamina, agility, detoxifies the body, and builds the immune system.
One such asana of yoga is Parvatasana. By practicing this asana, a yogi can learn to be as serious as a mountain. This asana is very beneficial despite being simple in appearance. In this article, we will tell you what is Parvatasana, the benefits of doing Parvatasana, the right way to do it, method, and will give information about the precautions.
What is Parvatasana?
This mountain pose, practiced for thousands of years, is the simplest and most effective of all yoga asanas.
Parvat in Sanskrit means mountain. Parvatasana means a mountain pose. It is a simple sitting posture performed while sitting in Padmasana, Ardha Padmasana, or Sukhasana. Parvatasana can strengthen the wrists and feet. It also increases blood flow to the head. It gives natural massage to the heart and lung muscles and this asana is very useful in relieving lumbar, spinal, shoulder, knee, and ankle pain and varicose veins.
Also Read: Yoga Nidra
What is the science behind Parvatasana?
According to the science of yoga, Mountain Pose stimulates and balances the heart chakra located at the center of the spine. This chakra is said to control emotions like forgiveness, empathy, love, compassion, etc. The purpose of yoga asanas is to balance and restore health, mental peace, and harmony. The practice of yoga is spiritual in its component form and thus yoga becomes a practice beyond physical training. It has a significant effect on the mind, emotions, and soul.
What are the health benefits of Parvatasana?
There are various benefits of it-
1. Tones the abdominal organs: Mountain pose involves the active engagement of the abdominal organs leading to their toning and conditioning. In this asana, you attain a perforated form to enhance your external appearance with strength. which also benefits the health of the internal organs. Therefore, both internal and external health is developed in mountain posture.
2. Improved posture: This asana leads to better body posture which is a symbol of grace and health. In this way, you can learn the art of sitting tall and with correct alignment from this asana which results in improved posture.
In Mountain Pose, you practice sitting with a long spine and a balanced posture that stretches and releases tension in the muscles of the spine. With the continuous practice of this asana, you develop the habit of sitting upright which in turn helps in correcting your posture.
3. Strengthens the muscles: The practice of mountain pose strengthens the muscles of the body. This asana helps in preventing power diseases developed in the muscles. This asana provides relief from excruciating pain caused by the release of tension and stiffness, stretching, and strengthening.
4. Decreased Anxiety: Mountain pose helps reduce anxiety through deep breathing and steady focus on one point. With this asana, your mind becomes calm in the posture, then your productivity and health increase manifold. Additionally, this asana promotes a greater awareness of a calm mind-body connection.
5. Develops Gratitude: Parvatasana is an ideal pose to develop gratitude and inspiration. When you sit in close contact with Mother Earth with a steady gaze you internally create a sense of compassion.
6. Spiritual Benefits: Many spiritual benefits are obtained from the practice of mountain mudra. This pose encourages inner connection as you chant mantras and focus on one point. With this asana breathing, mantra, and meditation, Parvatasana becomes a meditative pose.
7. Prevents Respiratory Problems: The main element of this asana is deep breathing. When you practice this mudra with coordinated breath movements you nourish the respiratory organs which help in curing respiratory conditions like shortness of breath, asthma.
What is the method of doing Parvatasana?
Step by Step Instructions:
- First, you sit in Dandasana on the yoga mat.
- Now spread the legs in front and keep the hands beside the body.
- Now you first sit in the posture of Padmasana or Sukhasana.
- In this mudra, the right foot will be on the left thigh and the left foot will be on the right thigh.
- Now take a slow and deep breath for about 3 seconds.
- Now join the palms in Namaskar Mudra.
- You drag your hands over your head.
- Now keep the hips on the ground and pull the hands upwards.
- This will make you feel a deep stretch in your body.
- You maintain the final posture for 30-40 seconds.
- In this way, you can practice mountain posture.
Additional Tips-
- You gradually increase the practice for the mountain.
- Do not practice this asana when you are in discomfort.
- Never put pressure on your shoulders or knees.
- If you feel discomfort or pain, don’t put any pressure on yourself.
- Slowly stop the practice of asanas and relax.
- For the first time, you should practice the asana under the supervision of a qualified yoga guru.
Variation in Mountain Pose:-
You can pull yourself to the left and right as your hands are pulled upwards. This will feel the stretch in your waist. You can also bend forward by doing this and touch the floor in Namaskar.
Precautions:-
- When you do this asana, your hands should not be bent at that time.
- Your waist should be straight.
- Keep the fingers of your hands straight.
- If you have any kind of problem with your wrist, then be careful while doing this asana, otherwise, the situation can become serious.
- While doing this asana, if you feel that the weight of the body has come on the hands, then try to move it towards the hips, otherwise, pain may arise in the hands.
- Avoid doing this asana if you have injuries in the back, waist, shoulders, and arms.
Some FAQs
Q- Who should avoid Parvataasana?
A- Avoid practicing Parvatasana if you have the following problems.
- Do not do this asana if there is pain in the spine.
- This asana should not be done even if there is a serious illness.
- Mountains should not be done if there is a pain in the neck.
- Do not raise your hand if there is a problem with shoulder pain.
- Heart and high blood pressure patients should not do this asana.
- In the beginning, do Parvatasana only under the supervision of a yoga trainer.
Q-2 What are the major benefits of Mountain pose in short?
A- Following are the major health benefits of it-
- If you do this exercise in the morning, it keeps you alert.
- Parvatasana stretches your spine.
- Stretching in this posture reduces the extra fat of the back and waist.
- This exercise tones up your muscles and hence stimulates the internal organs in the abdominal region.
- This asana cures respiratory disorders including asthma.
- In this action, as you straighten your arms, your triceps and biceps get a good workout.
- It improves the ability to stay focused.
In the end- Parvatasana is a very good posture of yoga science. A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. Parvatasana not only activates metabolism but also helps in keeping your mind stable. Parvatasana helps to develop this quality related to creating balance in your body.
Yoga asanas are a yogic exercise or asana. Sage Patanjali has defined the Yoga Sutras in his definitive text– ‘Sthiram sukham asanam’, which means that asana is a yoga posture that keeps the body in a stable and comfortable position. Yoga asanas or postures include cultural asanas and meditation postures.
The purpose of yoga asanas is to achieve physical strength, agility, balance, and stability. Yoga asanas keep the body and mind healthy and free from diseases. Yoga asanas make the physical body suitable for advanced yoga practices. Yoga proceeds to achieve the supreme goal of spiritual union with higher consciousness.
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