Tadasana – Mountain Pose

Tadasana is very basic and it seems easy. However it has a lot going on. It is a great posture for releasing stress. Since it is an overall grounding posture. Furthermore it is a container for the breath. It makes you more conscious and helps you to connect with the body. In this foundation posture we aim to create a steadiness within ourselves and in relation to world we live in. What we actually do in this posture is drawing up energy from the earth through the legs and the upper body all the way to the top of the head. Your crown is the top of the mountain. So in this case your head is also connected with earth.

Tadasana is the ‘mother’ of the yoga postures. Understanding the principles of Tadasana posture will benefit the practice of the other asana’s, which explains its nickname “Blueprint Posture.”

Allow yourself to explore this posture step by step

Divide the weight equally over all four corners of the feet

• Bring your feet hip width apart.
• Look down to your feet and lift your toes.
• See if you can connect with all the 4 corners of the feet.
  • 1 the big toe mouth,
  • 2 pinky toe mouth
  • 3 & 4 two corners of the heels
• Close your eyes and observe how you stand, is the weight equally divided or do you tend to bend forward or back

Over time you will notice that you will become more comfortable in your body as result of practicing this 4 corner equal standing. You will have more awareness of how to distribute your weight and the posture will improve naturally.

Try to observe during a day how you stand and try to practise the posture while waiting in the queue in the supermarket or post office.  It will also release some stress and waiting will get another dimension.

Activate your legs

• Activate your chins
• Contract your calf muscles so that your kneecap will lift.
• Rotate your inner thighs inward towards each other.

Actually you are squeezing your legs together, while rotating the thighs inwards. In order to feel what I mean you can use a block or book. Hold it in between your legs and squeeze them firmly together. It will give an enormous squeezing sensation. Now rotate the tights back, so you can really feel the action in your legs.

Tuck your tailbone under, to feel the torso extend

• Scoop the tailbone towards the floor, to meet the pubic bone of the pelvis, in order to create a gentle arch in you lower back.

Open up your heart

• Lift your sternum so you can draw the navel in to support your back and to tone your abdominal muscles.
• Roll shoulders high back and apart to keep the side body long.
• Turn your hand palms to the front, so the shoulder blades come together melting down towards the tail.

Now everything is in one line. Head over the heart, heart over the pelvis. Everything is engaged from earth up to the sky. Drawing up the energy from your feet to the head.