Tadasana known as ताडासन or mountain pose is the foundational pose for all standing yoga postures and full inversions, such as Handstand and Headstand. The alignment, muscle movements, and mindset you learn in Tadasana are applied every time you do a standing yoga pose. So, it’s important to learn how to do it correctly. Once you understand the proper form of Mountain Pose, it will be easier to gain and maintain the alignment for all other standing poses and inversions.
It might look like you’re just standing there, but Mountain Pose — Tadasana— is an active pose that helps improve posture, balance, and calm focus.
Basic yoga poses such as Tadasana are ideal yoga exercises for beginners as it helps to cultivate stillness and a sense of relaxed power.
The Mountain Pose benefits stretch out the muscles. The best time to perform this pose is when you feel that your yoga session has turned a little too intense. Performing this right in the middle of your exercise series can help you rest your body and give you time to recover.
It can also help you regain your meditative focus as well as your concentration. Although this pose is usually very simple, you can push your limits when attempting it. Tadasana also has a stilling effect, which helps you improve your overall yoga practice.
How to do Tadasana (ताडासन, mountain pose)
- Stand with your feet together. Face your kneecaps over your toes.
- The weight should be even on each foot, from front to back and side to side. To do this, ground down, lift your kneecaps and engage your quadriceps muscles. Then isometrically press the backs of your knees forward—but don’t actually bend them—engaging your quads and hamstring muscles equally.
- Hug your upper thighs together, then isometrically press them away from one another to activate both your adductors (inner thighs) and abductors (outer thighs).
- With your arms alongside your body, turn your biceps and palms to face forward. Align your neck so it feels long and even on all sides.
- Take a big inhale and lift your rib cage evenly away from your pelvis; exhale and hug in the sides of your waist to create lumbar (low back) stability.
- Stay here for a good 10 breaths—or make this your whole practice!
Tadasana benefits (Mountain Pose)
- This pose helps improve your body posture.
- With regular practice of tadasana, your knees, thighs, and ankles become stronger.
- You will get a toned body.
- This asana reduces flat feet.
- It also makes your spine more straight and supple.
- It is an excellent pose for those who want to increase their height in their formative years.
- Tadasana benefits also help improve balance.
- Your digestive, nervous, and respiratory systems are regulated.
Contraindications and precautions of mountain pose (Tadasana)
It is best to avoid this asana if you have the following problems:
- headache
- Insomnia
- Low blood pressure
