Tadasana : Mountain Posture
Tadasana is a parent posture from which other standing postures are initiated. It is one of the simplest yet most profound and difficult postures to understand.Instructions:
- Stand with your feet hips width apart (for beginners)
- If thighs collapse with each other stand with hips apart
- For advanced practitioners feet together
- Elongate the neck of big toes and spread pinky toes out to the sides
- Press the outer heels and lift inner ankles up
- Pull the knee caps up
- Hit the thigh bones back
- Tuck the tail bone in
- Lift the pubis up
- Frontal lower ribs should be soft and relaxed
- Pull shoulders back and down
- Elongate both sides of the neck
- Lift the back of the head from occipital bone
- Lift the crown of the head up
- Wear a gentle smile
- Jaw and tongue should be relaxed
- The practice of Tadasana as an individual posture is a must and should not be taken for granted
Variations :
- Push the sacrum against the wall for yoga practitioners who have an arched lumbar spine or weakness in the abdomen
- A belt around ankles can be placed for yoga practitioners who have flat feet and dropped ankles
- A soft block in between knees can be placed for hyperextension originating from the inner knees
- A belt wrapped around the knees for hyperextension
- Soft block under armpits for imbalance in shoulders
Benefits:
- Tones leg muscles and make lower body joints healthy and strong
- Brings evenness in lower body joints specially subtalar joint
- Prepares the spine for other yoga postures
- Helps in maintaining the awareness of the pectoralis muscles and other accessory muscles which are used in pranayama
- Builds confidence and mental clarity when the gaze is neutral and stable in Tadasana
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