Mountain Pose — Feet Hip-Width

Quick Intro

Tadasana — Feet Apart (Mountain Pose — Feet Hip-Width in English) is a yoga exercise performed by standing with the feet set a hip-width apart rather than together, weight spread evenly across both feet, the spine lengthened and the arms resting at the sides.

Equipment Needed

No equipment is needed to perform Tadasana — Feet Apart. A yoga mat is optional and gives a small amount of extra grip underfoot.

Why Tadasana — Feet Apart Matters

The lower back (erector spinae) holds the upright line, and the front of the thigh (quadriceps, vastus medialis) keeps the knees softly active. The outer hip (gluteus medius) levels the pelvis across the wider stance, the deep core (transverse abdominis) supports the spine and the calf (soleus) helps anchor the base through both feet.

Flexibility is the main demand, reflecting the same length through the spine and legs the full pose holds.

When to Do It

Tadasana — Feet Apart works well as the entry point into standing alignment, giving a wider and inherently more forgiving base than the feet-together version. Most sessions that plan to work up to the full pose can open here first.

New to standing alignment work. The wider base makes it easier to feel where the weight sits without also managing a narrow stance.
A history of ankle or knee instability that makes a narrow stance feel wobbly. The added width reduces that demand while the same postural cues still apply.
Wanting to isolate spinal length and shoulder position before adding a balance challenge. Removing the narrow-stance variable lets those cues land more clearly.

For most people just starting to work with standing alignment, this is the more sensible starting point, and it exists to make the same postural line achievable before the base narrows.

Getting Ready

A few slow ankle circles and a couple of gentle knee bends warm the legs before they hold a fixed position. Stepping the feet out to a hip-width stance and simply noticing where the weight naturally falls, before applying any cues, gives a baseline to work from.

Keep the weight rooted through all four corners of both feet even with the wider base. Letting the weight roll onto the outer edges of the feet is a common fault at this stance width.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. The stance. Step the feet out to hip-width, toes pointing forward.

2. The legs. Distribute the weight evenly across both feet and engage the thighs gently.

3. The spine. Lengthen upward through the crown of the head, drawing the tailbone down slightly.

4. The shoulders. Roll the shoulders back and let the arms hang naturally at the sides.

5. The hold. Breathe steadily for the target breath count, then step the feet back together to release.

How Many, How Often

Tadasana — Feet Apart is dosed by breath count, since the pose is a still hold that settles further with each steady breath.

Level	Where you’re at	What to do
Beginner	Brand new to standing alignment	Hold for 5 breaths, checking that the weight feels even across both feet before worrying about anything else.
Intermediate	The stance feels settled	Hold for 8 breaths, refining the spine and shoulder cues while keeping the wider base.
Advanced	The alignment holds with ease	Begin narrowing the stance toward Tadasana once this wider base needs no active correction.

Even weight across all four corners of both feet matters more here than how tall the stance feels, since a rolled-out stance undermines the base this pose is meant to build.

Modifications and Variations

Tadasana — Feet Apart sits at the accessible end of its own progression, with one clear next step and no easier version below it.

For more difficulty, Tadasana narrows the stance to feet-together, adding a balance demand on top of the same spinal alignment.

Progression path: Tadasana — Feet Apart → Tadasana

Narrow the stance gradually across sessions, letting the balance demand build in small, manageable steps.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the weight roll onto the outer edges of the feet. This is the usual fault at this stance width, and it undercuts the stable base the wider stance is meant to provide. Consciously pressing down through the inner and outer edges evenly corrects it.

Turning the toes out instead of pointing them forward. A turned-out stance changes how the hips and knees track, and it is easy to miss without checking. Setting the toes forward keeps the alignment consistent with the narrower version this pose builds toward.

Letting the knees lock straight. Locked knees remove the legs’ active engagement from the hold. A soft, gentle bend keeps the thighs working.

Rushing through the setup instead of feeling where the weight sits. The stance is simple enough to breeze past without attention. Pausing to notice the weight distribution before applying any cues is what makes the rest of the hold worthwhile.

After Your Set

Shaking out both legs for a few seconds releases any tension that built up through the standing hold. A few slow shoulder rolls ease any tightness that gathered while holding them back and down.

Going Deeper

This stance is usually trained by anyone new to standing postural work, as the wider, more forgiving base that makes the core alignment cues achievable before narrowing the feet. The most common way it stalls isn’t the width of the stance, but rushing to narrow the feet before the wider version feels settled, which just imports the same balance struggle one step early. Staying with the wider base until the alignment holds without active correction is what makes the eventual narrow stance solid.

Someone new to this stance generally reaches a steady 8-breath hold within the first one to two weeks, and starts narrowing the feet toward the standard pose somewhere in the two to four week range.

How to Know You’re Improving

An 8-breath hold with the weight feeling even across both feet
A spine that stays lengthened without needing a verbal reminder
Shoulders that settle back and down without re-correcting mid-hold
A comfortable narrowing of the stance toward feet-together without the alignment falling apart

Alignment that holds without active correction, not how wide the stance is, is what progress looks like here.

Muscles Worked

Erector Spinae (the muscles running along the length of the spine, holding the spine upright over a wider base)
Vastus Medialis (the inner portion of the quadriceps, keeping the knees gently straight)
Gluteus Medius (a smaller glute muscle at the side of the hip, sharing the work of levelling the pelvis across two separated feet)
Transverse Abdominis (a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset, supporting the trunk while the breath stays full)
Soleus (a deeper calf muscle beneath the gastrocnemius, steadying the ankles with less sway to correct)

FAQ

Is this just a beginner-only stance, or can I keep using it long-term? It is a valid long-term base, not only a beginner step. Anyone whose ankles or knees prefer a wider stance can keep using this version indefinitely.

How do I know when I’m ready to bring the feet together? A steady hold here that no longer needs conscious correction is the signal. Narrowing the stance before that point usually just relocates the same balance struggle.

Why does this feel so much easier than the feet-together version? The wider base gives the body more side-to-side support, which is exactly why this version exists as an easier entry point into the same alignment.

Do I need a mat to feel where my weight is distributed? No, bare feet on any flat floor work fine for noticing weight distribution. A mat only adds a small amount of extra traction, nothing more.

Next in this series: Tadasana, the feet-together version this wider stance builds toward.