Mountain Pose

Tadasana is a foundational posture in the practice of yoga. Its name, is derived from two Sanskrit roots meaning "mountain" and “pose,". It serves as an introductory pose for many Sun Salutations sequences, but it can also be used as a restorative resting pose between more challenging standing postures. With Tadasana we find stillness amid movement.

how to enter the pose

Stand in the middle of the mat. Put your feet together, focusing on having the 4 points of your feet on the same level. Spread your toes without gripping them. Open the chest, lower the shoulders and pull your kneecap up. Make sure you're not arching the back. Imagine you have a wall behind you.

Pull your arms down, palms of the hand facing the leg, make your neck long, and look straight ahead.

how to stay in the pose

The challenge of this pose is to stand evenly on both legs. You'll notice that one of the feet is lighter than the other one, try and be even.

Remember to ground down through all four corners of your feet, engage your thigh muscles to lift your kneecaps and tone your abdominal muscles. Keep your spine tall and imagine a string lifting you up from the crown of your head.

Variations of moutain pose

This pose is used in between most standing poses, to calm down and re-focus. The same way Dandasana is a pose you go back to when doing forward bends.

A variation of the mounting pose is Headstand (Sirsanana), and another variation is the Reclined Mountain Pose (supta tadasana), same pose but lying on the mat. Teachers often say it's easier to be in Head stand than Tadasana!

Tadasana is often followed by the same pose but with arms straight up: urdhva hastasana (aka Upward salute, raised Hands Pose, also sometimes called Talasana, the Palm Tree).

If you find it difficult to hold this pose for more than a few breaths at first, don't worry - with practice, you'll gradually build strength and stamina in both body and mind.

For further guidance on mastering Mountain Pose (and all the other yoga poses), why not book a live online class with one of our expert instructors? Namaste!