Tadasana : Mountain pose

What could be more stable, more anchored, more solid than a mountain ? This is the objective of Tadasana, the mountain pose. This posture is very common in yoga, we even practice it several times during the same session.

No need to be flexible or demonstrate acrobatics, Tadasana seems accessible to everyone. However, you need to understand all its subtleties to do it correctly and get all the benefits.

Specifications

Do you know that this posture has not one but two Sanskrit names ? Otherwise, there are two ways to call this posture in the Indo-European language Sanskrit.

The first name is Tadasana. Tada means mountain + Asana means posture.

The other way to call this posture is Samasthiti. Sama means straight, impassive + Sthiti means stillness.

In both cases the idea is the same, it is a posture where one stands firmly and straight like a mountain, hence its translation into English as mountain posture.

Tadasana is the go-to basic standing pose. It marks both the beginning and the end of the Sun Salutation. It is the essential starting point for many postures, particularly standing. It is the posture allowing the transition between two sequences. Finally, it is also used as a recovery posture.

Benefits

On a physical level, Tadasana allows you to have good posture and stand up straight. It brings lightness throughout the body. It strengthens the entire body and makes breathing easier.

On a mental level, it provides anchoring and stability. It increases our ability to concentrate and brings mental agility.

Step by step

The lower body : the feet are joined together. Knees are unlocked, thighs and glutes active. The perineum is also activated, the pelvis is retroverted, the coccyx is oriented downwards and forwards.

Upper body : navel pulled in, chest open, shoulders relaxed and rolled back. They face downwards, away from the ears. The arms are either relaxed and engaged along the body, or raised towards the sky. The back is in a neutral position revealing its natural curves. The column is elongated, the top of the skull pushes towards the sky. The chin is parallel to the ground and the gaze is fixed on the horizon.

Once you have entered the posture, take the time to close your eyes. The entire weight of your body rests on your feet. Shift the weight from left to right until you find your center. The goal is to distribute the entire body weight evenly between both feet. Then do the same thing by shifting the weight back and forth.

Alternatives

If you have difficulty finding balance with your feet together, you can separate your feet.

If you have trouble standing up straight, you can do the pose by leaning against a wall to align your body.

Watch out for

This pose is indicative of how we stand in general, outside of yoga. Without good posture, the weight is poorly distributed between the two feet. It is either more in one leg, to the detriment of the other, or more in the heels, to the detriment of the toes, and vice versa. Having a good standing position is essential according to B. K. S. IYENGAR, a famous yoni who gave birth to Iyengar yoga. Indeed, he explains that the risk is to have “specific deformations which hinder the elasticity of the spine”.

How do you know if you have good posture ? You can look at several of your pairs of shoes. If you notice on the majority of them that part of the feet is more worn, particularly at the heels or soles, this means that the weight of your body is not distributed evenly.

So study your posture and practice Tadasana while distributing your weight well !