This might look like just standing there position, but it’s actually the foundation of all yoga standing poses. Mountain Pose gives you awareness of your body and improves posture.

Stand with your feet only slightly apart and big toes touching. Feel the weight of your body balanced evenly between the balls and heels of your feet. Keep your knees slightly bent and lift your upper body, as though it’s being gently pulled by a string from the top of your head.

As you maintain this pose, breathe deeply, feeling your stomach (just below the diaphragm) move with each inhale.

Sadly, Chair Pose does not involve a chair or actual sitting of any kind. Happily, chair pose is a great exercise for your legs and core, plus it gently elevates heart rate and increases circulation.

If you feel any pressure or pain in your knees for this position, decrease the bend. You don’t have to squat all the way down to feel the benefits, so keep the movement safe for your body.

Start in Mountain Pose and raise your hands straight up. Maintain that “my head is being lifted to the ceiling” feeling as you bend your knees.

With hips moving backward, bend your knees as if you were sitting in an imaginary chair. If you can, try to get your thighs parallel to the floor.

All the while, keep your arms straight overhead and remain in the pose for 30 to 60 seconds. If you can only do 10 seconds and your knees are just barely bent, that’s fine, too.