How to Do a Tadasana Pose in Yoga

In yoga, the Tadasana or “Mountain” pose is the most basic of all the positions, but it is arguably the most important. It is from the Tadasana pose that many positions and exercises will begin; your alignment for Tadasana carries into your alignment for many of yoga’s standing and inverted poses. So, if your alignment and positioning in Tadasana is incorrect, the rest of your workout will be incorrect as well. At first, it may just seem like you are standing, but this is the very opposite of what your body should be doing. Bringing the body into the correct alignment is difficult and takes the energy and focus of all your muscles, joints and most importantly your mind. Here’s a guide to posing correctly in Tadasana.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Yoga mat
• Towel
• Yoga blocks
• Comfortable clothes

Stand Straight

1. Get into position. Stand up straight with your legs together. Do not lock your knees and let your arms hang loosely at your sides.

2. Find your base. Lift up your toes so that they stretched, flexed and fanned toward the ceiling. Now let them drop down so that you have created a wide and solid base beneath you.

3. Distribute your weight. Shift your weight until it is evenly distributed around your entire base and not just in your toes or your heels. You should feel yourself being stabilized by all four corners of both feet.

4. Strengthen your base. Engage your feet and calves so that you are rooted to the floor. It is important that your base is strong.

5. Flex your quadriceps muscles. Your knee caps will rise when you flex your quad muscles, which is a sign that you are contracting correctly.

6. Engage your sit bones. The sit bones are literally the bones on which you sit. These are the two bony points covered by your buttocks. If you rotate both of your thighs inward your sit bones will automatically widen. Once you’ve opened them up, you can tuck your tailbone down so that it sits between your sit bones.

7. Contract your core muscles. Your core is the girdle of muscles around your stomach and is where you maintain your body's balance and control. Engage the core muscles by slightly pulling your abdomen in, so that it flexes toward your spine.

8. Stand up straight. Roll your shoulders back so that your collar bones are widened. Your shoulders should be directly parallel to your pelvis.

9. Elongate your neck. Keeping your shoulders wide, pull your chin in and your head up so that the crown of your head rises toward the ceiling. You should also feel your shoulder blades slide down your back. Make sure to continue focusing on your core and pelvis so that you don’t arch your back.

Tips & Warnings

• If you’re new to yoga, try practicing Tadasana with your back to a wall. This will prevent you from arching your back and will show you the proper alignment of your body.
• To help keep your quadriceps engaged through the entire pose, place a yoga block between your thighs.
• If while in the Tadasana pose, your ankles knock together uncomfortably, you can separate your feet slightly for comfort.

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