Pose of the Month: Ta-da! Tadasana
Oh Tadasana.
If we could master just one pose in our yoga practice. Let it be tadasana. Practice this one pose daily. Ten breaths, that's all I ask. Trust me.
Mountain Pose. The art of standing up tall.
Grow tadasana from the ground up. Take the feet hips width distance apart. Feel all four corners of the feet. Imagine roots growing down into the earth. Feel the arches of the feet lifting. Lift and spread the toes then plant them.
Draw the kneecaps up toward the middle of the thighs. Let the knees have the slightest softness.
Tuck the tail under and then release it back - rocking the pelvis. Find the middle place where the lower back feels lengthened.
Draw the navel up and in. Lift the sternum without arching the back.
Draw the shoulders down. Open across the collar bones.
Spiral the arms so the palms face forward, thumbs out.
Grow tall through the crown of the head, tuck the chin just slightly so the neck feels long.
Now, breathe.
The navel draws in so the breath fills the chest. Lifting the sternum, the collar bones.
Each inhale the crown of the head grows toward the sun. Each exhale the shoulders relax farther down the back.
The feet press into the earth. The fingers stretch energetically.
The mind is still. Listening to the breath. Feeling the pose through the entire body. When the mind wanders off, return to the breath, plant the feet, reach the fingers, draw down the shoulders.
So simple, and yet - when was the last time we stood up tall?
How might it feel to stand tall in our daily life? At work? In the face of adversity?
How might our back feel if we made a habit of standing up tall?
The benefits of yoga don't come from tying ourselves in knots, my friends. Not from standing on our heads. But from standing on our own two feet. Tall, proud, balanced, focused and present.
Give it a try.
Ta-da! Tadasana.
If we could master just one pose in our yoga practice. Let it be tadasana. Practice this one pose daily. Ten breaths, that's all I ask. Trust me.
Mountain Pose. The art of standing up tall.
Grow tadasana from the ground up. Take the feet hips width distance apart. Feel all four corners of the feet. Imagine roots growing down into the earth. Feel the arches of the feet lifting. Lift and spread the toes then plant them.
Draw the kneecaps up toward the middle of the thighs. Let the knees have the slightest softness.
Tuck the tail under and then release it back - rocking the pelvis. Find the middle place where the lower back feels lengthened.
Draw the navel up and in. Lift the sternum without arching the back.
Draw the shoulders down. Open across the collar bones.
Spiral the arms so the palms face forward, thumbs out.
Grow tall through the crown of the head, tuck the chin just slightly so the neck feels long.
Now, breathe.
The navel draws in so the breath fills the chest. Lifting the sternum, the collar bones.
Each inhale the crown of the head grows toward the sun. Each exhale the shoulders relax farther down the back.
The feet press into the earth. The fingers stretch energetically.
The mind is still. Listening to the breath. Feeling the pose through the entire body. When the mind wanders off, return to the breath, plant the feet, reach the fingers, draw down the shoulders.
So simple, and yet - when was the last time we stood up tall?
How might it feel to stand tall in our daily life? At work? In the face of adversity?
How might our back feel if we made a habit of standing up tall?
The benefits of yoga don't come from tying ourselves in knots, my friends. Not from standing on our heads. But from standing on our own two feet. Tall, proud, balanced, focused and present.
Give it a try.
Ta-da! Tadasana.
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