TADASANA Mountain Pose

In Sanskrit Tada means a mountain. This pose is also known as Samasthiti. Sama means upright, straight. Sthiti is steadiness.

Tadasana is the foundational pose for all other standing asanas. It is the very first posture practiced at the beginning of Sun Salutations, which is also a traditional foundational practice of yoga asana. Here we begin to prepare ourselves for our practice in all levels of our being. It may look like you are just standing, but many muscles are engaged to support you upright.

Avoid throwing the weight of your body only on one leg, shifting weight back and forth, or having drooped shoulders. Your vital energy cannot flow properly, the spine feels the strain, you become fatigued and it leads to ailments. So stand erect and steady as a mountain.

We are able to observe our posture closely and clearly recognize imbalances created by day-to-day activities. As the posture is held and the mind is quieted we are able to re-train the body to stand correctly and reverse the negative effects of poor posture.

How to practice:

Stand upright, feet touching from the instep to inner heels or widen the stance, placing your hip width apart. Arms by your sides. Stretch up through the crown of the head while distributing the weight equally over both feet. Lift and spread the toes as wide as possible, then rest them gently back to the mat. Feel the three corners of the feet root into the earth. Lift up through the inner arch of the feet and feel that activation rise up the legs. Unlock the knees, feeling the knee caps lift. Feel the inner thighs draw together and back, freeing the sit bones and tilting the pelvis slightly forward. Draw the tailbone under, rooting it towards the earth, bringing the pelvis back into neutral. Lift up through the waist, lifting the lower ribs away from the top rim of the hips. Gently retract the shoulder blades down the back. Let the chest lift and feel the heart float as the collarbones widen. Relax the neck and tops of the shoulders, allowing the chin to float in space. Relax all the muscle of the face and feel the crown of the head stretch up to the sky. Shoulders should align over hips, and hips over heels. Continue to scan the body and keep each part alive from the fingers to the toes. Close the eyes to create a deeper awareness of the posture and build more strength in the pose. Imagine the energy moving from the earth through your feet higher running up all your body toward the crown of your head.

Drishti point is tip of the nose (Nasagrai) or towards the horizon.

Benefits:

  • Develops physical and mental balance
  • Improves posture and corrects imbalance in the spine
  • Improves concentration
  • Builds self-confidence and body awareness
  • Aligns the major energy channels and centers of the subtle body
  • Clears up congestion along the spine, allowing Prana to move freely throughout the body
  • Tones the buttock muscles