My good friend, Tadasana

Dear Friends, 

Please allow me to introduce you to my good friend, Tadasana. You may know it by its more common English name, Mountain.  If there was ever a more under appreciated yoga pose, I don't know what it would be.  You see, Tadasana is not glamorous, like say Pinchamyurasana (Peacock Feather Pose).  It's not famous, like Downward Facing Dog.  It's not even feared or loathed like a Chaturangadandasana that is burning your core, triceps, and thighs.  No, sadly, Tadasana is simply beyond stirring strong emotion in most students and teachers and, for this reason, it is often overlooked.  It is sometimes presented merely as "Stand in Tadasana", as though it should be as natural as breathing (which shouldn't be taken for granted in a yoga class either).  But, here's the thing:  Its not natural to EVERYBODY!   We have a lot of built up predispositions and habits in these bodies of ours and if we aren't paying close attention to what should be happening in Tadasana, then we are missing out on the true aim of all other poses and yoga itself.

I'll admit it.  I have underestimated Tadasana myself.  The first time I tried yoga, my mind muttered sarcastically at the video instruction, "That's just standing....Duh.  Let's move on."  But, after listening and attempting a few basic directions from the teacher, my body said, "Whoa!  Hold the phone.  This is new sensory input to me."  You see, I had never really put my feet on the ground.  Okay, I know that may sound weird, obviously my feet have been on the ground a lot my whole life.  What I mean is that I had never really put the weight of my whole body down deep into my feet and trusted them to truly carry me until I was introduced to Tadasana.  I had never distributed my weight evenly down from my core, through my hips to my thighs to the inner AND outer edges of the feet and felt centered.  In all my years on earth, I had never really awoke the muscles of my legs or core.  Basically, I had never built much of a foundation with my lower body and so my upper body had suffered greatly.  My shoulders sagged, my spine rounded, my chest collapsed, my head hung forward...kind of a sad picture I'm painting here, isn't it?  It truly was.  

A great Tadasana includes a lot of physical elements, none of them difficult.  The tricky part  is this:  doing them all simultaneously, without losing the integrity of any as you build.  It takes a lot of focus on the alignment of your body to stand in Tadasana properly and, when done properly, you actually feel the weight of the world as it lifts from your shoulders.  


It becomes effortless to stand tall, heart open, steady and ready for anything.  It becomes effortless to be you.  You are so comfortable in your own skin, in the body that you inhabit, that nothing can disturb you there.  And that sacred place you construct in Tadasana is so very important because it allows you to feel how each pose should be experienced..........eventually.  Yes, its true.  Every pose, even those famous and glamorous ones, can and should be practiced with comfort and ease; just like Tadasana. 


For this reason, I highly recommend becoming best friends with Tadasana and here's how:

Placing your feet hip distance apart.

Fanning your toes out; creating as much space as possible between each toe.

Placing your feet so that the inner edges of the ball mounts are a little closer than the inner edges of the heels.

Placing your feet so that the centerlines of your feet are parallel (an imaginary line that extends from between your 2nd and 3rd toes).

Rocking forward onto balls and back onto heels again and again until the weight of your body is evenly distributed over both.

Doing the same with the weight from the inner edge to the outer edge of the foot; finding center.

Activate your leg strength by pressing your palms to the inner edges of the thighs and then gently back; feel your sitting bones open up and widen if you are successful.

Thighs stay active, as if you are holding a yoga block, pillow, or rolled towel between your thighs.  (It is good practice to actually do this.)

The lower legs balance the strong internal action of the thigh muscles by resisting slightly in an outer pattern (as if you had to keep a yoga strap or belt in place around your calves.

With sitting bones broad, you can lengthen your tail bone down toward the floor.  This anchors the power of the pelvis down into the legs and feet.

You should now be stacked hips over feet, shoulders over hips, creating a straight line.

Draw your belly button in and up to engage your core.  Inahle and feel the energy move up your spine, lengthening you as it goes all the way up to the crown of your head.  

Exhale and from your sternum, broaden across your collarbones, rotating your upper arms away from the chest.

The lower arm is rotated in toward the sides of the body.

Allow the inner edges of your shoulder blades to release down toward your waist.

Press the inner edges of your should blades forward toward your chest.  Feel the expansiveness of your heart!

Allow your arms to be suspended heavily from the shoulders at your sides.  You feel almost as though your fingers are magnetized and being drawn toward the earth.

Your body and belly are soft and moving with each breath.

Your pose is alive with your breath and focus.  

Your pose becomes comfortable.  You are at ease, strong and relaxed.