- Category
- Standing
- Level
- beginner
- Hold
- 3–5 breaths
- Type
- Asana
- Breath
- Inhale as the arms rise; breathe evenly while you hold.
Upward Salute
Urdhva Hastasana — "upward hands posture"
Also known as: Raised Hands Pose
Mountain Pose with the arms swept overhead — a full-body reach that opens every sun salutation. Simple, but it wakes up the whole side body.
Step by step
- 1Start in Mountain Pose with your feet grounded and legs active.
- 2On an inhale, sweep your arms out to the sides and up overhead.
- 3Turn your palms to face each other, arms shoulder-width apart or palms touching.
- 4Keep your shoulders relaxed away from your ears and your lower ribs drawn in.
- 5Reach up through your fingertips while pressing down through your feet.
- 6Gaze forward, or gently up toward your thumbs if your neck is comfortable.
Benefits
- ✓ Stretches the sides of the body, shoulders, and armpits
- ✓ Improves posture and shoulder mobility
- ✓ Builds the habit of reaching without flaring the ribs
- ✓ Links breath to movement at the start of sun salutations
Make it yours
- · Keep the arms shoulder-width apart and slightly forward if your shoulders are tight.
- · Hold a strap between your hands to keep the arms organized.
- · Practice with your back at a wall to feel whether your ribs flare.
Take care
- Skip or keep the arms low if you have a shoulder injury.
- Keep the gaze forward rather than up if you get dizzy or have neck discomfort.
This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.
Practiced in
Props that help here
- Manduka PRO — The buy-it-once option — dense, stable, famously durable. Heavy, so it lives at home, which is where practice happens anyway. find one
- Liforme Original — The grippiest mat we've used, with alignment markers that genuinely help beginners place hands and feet. Priciest of the three. find one
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