Before I start posting "how to" video demos, it's important that you know the basics of one of the most important poses in yoga - Tadasana. It means "Mountain Pose," and it is the blue print for all of our standing poses. This means that the alignment principles of Tadasana will show up in nearly every other pose we do.
Tadasana may seem like a boring pose at first, but there's actually a lot going on. You're stacking bone, over bone, over bone and the body is in perfect alignment. And to find that alignment, always start with the foundation (parts of the body connected to the Earth) and work your way up.
Feet- straight and parallel, either hips distance apart or big toes touching. A good way to find straight feet is draw a straight line forward from the center of the ankle to the second toe. Equal weight through all four corners of feet.
Ankles - lift inner and outer ankles evenly
Knee caps and thighs - lifted and engaged
Tailbone - draws in, front hip points lift
All four sides of torso - lengthen up evenly
Shoulders - draw towards each other on the back and relax away from the ears
Arms - lengthening down, extend through fingertips
Draw ears back in line over shoulders, chin parallel to Earth
*Should be stacking ankles, knees, hips and shoulders
Try Tadasana as often as you can throughout the day... in line at the grocery store, in conversation with a friend, cooking, etc. It may feel strange at first, but your body will thank you later. And if you can really commit these alignment points to memory, you'll have a much clearer understanding of the other poses we explore in this blog.
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