 (tah-DAHS-anna)
tada = mountain Step by Step
Stand with the bases of your big toes touching,
heels slightly apart (so that your second toes are
parallel). Lift and spread your toes and the balls
of your feet, then lay them softly down on the floor.
Rock back and forth and side to side. Gradually reduce
this swaying to a standstill, with your weight balanced
evenly on the feet.
Firm your thigh muscles and lift the knee caps,
without hardening your lower belly. Lift the inner
ankles to strengthen the inner arches, then imagine
a line of energy all the way up along your inner thighs
to your groins, and from there through the core of
your torso, neck, and head, and out through the crown
of your head. Turn the upper thighs slightly inward.
Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor and lift the
pubis toward the navel.
Press your shoulder blades into your back, then
widen them across and release them down your back.
Without pushing your lower front ribs forward, lift
the top of your sternum straight toward the ceiling.
Widen your collarbones. Hang your arms beside the
torso.
Balance the crown of your head directly over the
center of your pelvis, with the underside of your
chin parallel to the floor, throat soft, and the tongue
wide and flat on the floor of your mouth. Soften your
eyes.
Tadasana is usually the starting position for all
the standing poses. But it's useful to practice Tadasana
as a pose in itself. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds
to 1 minute, breathing easily.
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