Tadasana - Mountain Pose

                  

Tadasana means Mountain Pose in Sanskrit.  When I do Tadasana I think, Ta da..like magic, because I am transformed to a state of equipoise in body, mind and breath.  If I am feeling low in energy, just standing in tadasana can bring me back to a state of vitality and stability. 

There are many subtle instructions for this seemingly easy pose.  Here are a few.

-Stand with feet together.  Aligning the toes, heels and ankles.  If you feel off balance, have ankle, knee, hip or back issues bring the feet hip width apart but keep them parallel. The outer edge of the foot in line with the outer hip.
-Bring weight evenly into the big toe mound, little toe mound and the heel mound on each foot.  Balance front to back and side to side.
-Think of drawing the shin bone up to the knee, the knees up to the thighs and the thighs up to the hips to engage the thigh muscles firmly. Really suck the knees up.
-Compact the outer hips, hook the tailbone under slightly to lengthen the lower back and lift the inner groin and abdomen up.
-Lengthen and extend the spine up and let the shoulders move down the back.  Keep the sternum bone lifting up as the shoulder blades move down and into the back.
-Keep the arms at the sides with palms facing inwards.  Feel the fingers extending towards the floor.
-The crown of the head stays parallel to the floor, neck lengthening without hardening the throat.
-As the crown lengthens up, press the feet to the floor.  Look forward with soft eyes.

"If I have to do Tadasana..it often happens that one leg appears strong, attentive, steady, and straight, whereas the other leg remains inattentive.  One can feel that one leg is in a passive, non-violent state and the other is in a violent or aggressive state.  Hence, it becomes necessary to balance the two legs evenly so that one will not be able to differentiate between activity and passivity, or violence and non-violence.  Secondly, if you keep the legs unevenly, the mind remains unstable.  Establish alignment in the body; align the muscles, joints, and intelligence, energy and attention."

- B.K.S. Iyengar

From B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Wisdom & Practice, for health, happiness, and a better world

Try it and see if it works its magic on you!
Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
http://www.plnyoga.vpweb.com/