An In-depth Look at Tadasana – Yoga Mountain Pose
Tadasana is a basic standing posture that forms the foundation of many other postures – not just standing poses, but also seated postures. A deep understanding of Tadasana will inform your entire practice. You will find more information and variation of Mountain Pose on the website here.
While it sounds so simple – just stand there – there is a huge difference between an embodied Tadasana and merely an idea of Tadasana.
Here’s how to embody your Tadasana:
Lift up your toes, and spread them wide, feeling all four corners of your feet engaging the ground. Feel your arches naturally lift.
Let your toes release onto the ground while maintaining the evenly grounded feet.
Line your ankles, knees and hips up so they stack one on top of the other.
Engage your quadriceps and feel them lifting up toward your pelvis.
Release your pelvis down toward the earth – not tucking under, but extending.
Extend your spine toward the sky and broaden your collarbones.
Relax and soften your shoulders, letting the shoulder blades slide down the back of your spine.
A strong, supple Tadasana is the perfect base posture to explore arm pranayamas. Each of these has a slightly different effect.
Maintain awareness of your torso and legs in stillness even as the arms are moving in tandem with the breath. Be aware of the grounding action through the pelvis, legs and feet, and the ascending, lifting action of the spine.
Arm Pranayama Variation #1
Arms start at your side.
Inhale and extend your arms out sideways bringing them all the way up until they meet above your head.
Keep your arms straight and be aware of a straight line of energy moving from the heart, through the shoulders, elbows and wrists.
As you exhale, press your palms together and bring your arms down the centre line of the body. Be aware of drawing energy into your body.
As the exhale ends, begin the inhale again, opening the arms wide.
There is a sense of opening to embrace the world and drawing the world’s energy into the body.
Arm Pranayama Variation #2
Arms hang loose by your sides, palms facing up and elbows slightly bent.
On an inhale, lift your hands up towards the sky to about your armpits.
As you exhale, turn your palms over and press them down into the ground as if you were squashing the air.
Focus more attention on the exhale, releasing the exhale and excess energy into the earth.
When you are perfectly balanced in tadasana, your heart beat (being off center) will introduce a very subtle but noticeable oscillation to your torso. Find that oscillation and enjoy the pose.
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