Tadasana This pose is an invitation to stand tall with the majestic steadiness of a mountain. It is the basic standing pose, a place to start from and return to as we explore the more dynamic aspects of our practice.
1 Stand with the feet together. (A little farther apart is fine if you have lower back or knee stiffness.)
2 Close your eyes for a moment, and bring your mind into the soles of your feet. Rock forward gently over the toes and backward over the heels, coming to rest in a place where you feel absolutely balanced.
3 Spread the weight of your body evenly across your feet, heels to toes, and inner edge to outer edge. Make your contact with the floor as wide and full as possible.
4 Open your eyes, gazing forward to infinity.
5 Bend your knees slightly to awaken the legs. Straighten the legs slowly, bringing the knees directly over the ankles and the hips directly over the knees.
6 Bring your attention to the base of the spine.
7 Move the top of the front thighs back slightly, opening the area right at the top of the thighs where the legs join the trunk of the body. Draw the pubic bone in toward the core of the belly, so the bottom protrudes slightly. Then balance this movement by tucking the tailbone under slightly to bring the buttocks back into line.
8 Gently lift the chest away from the belly, feeling the spine extend upward through the crown of the head. Allow the shoulders to soften and drop away from the ears, and the very top of the chest to open. Let the arms be loose and relaxed beside the body, palms facing in toward the thighs.
9 Draw the chin slightly toward the throat, allowing the back of the neck to lengthen. Relax the throat.
10 Press down firmly through your feet into the floor and notice the equal and opposite flow of energy upward through the spine. Rest here a moment, residing in the vertical stillness of your being.
