Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

Our practice should teach us to have a mountain of resilience and an ocean of patience.

At face value Tadasana (standing upright) seems to be one of the most basic postures in yoga. However, the term ‘basic posture’ can be misleading, which is why I prefer think of it as one of the fundamental poses.

Tadasana means mountain posture. As a well-known yoga teacher, Erich Schiffman says the pose…

‘promotes the experience of stillness, strength, relaxed power, and immovable stability associated with mountains’.  

 It’s a wonderful posture that reminds us the importance of stability, lightness and balance. Tadasana acts as a blue print for all standing postures as it shows us how to bring these essential qualities into every pose we practice. It’s easier to feel grounded and effortless in Tadasana, and once you have experienced these delightful attributes, you can translate them into more complex postures.  

Whenever I practice challenging poses, I try to bring a sense of balance even when the pose seems uneven and twisted. I focus on being stable and balanced, and then explore ways of being light and expansive. This method allows you to breathe properly and start to relax into the position.

One of my teachers often says that practicing Tadasana illustrates the earth and sky relationship perfectly. When you stand well, there is a feeling of being supported by the earth, which in turn enables effortless lift towards the sky. It’s a great pose to explore your relationship with gravity and space, and feel how they work together in our practice.

Tadasana encourages better physical posture and teaches the mind to be steady and calm. Every time we practice, we can reacquaint ourselves with stillness. As Schiffman says… ‘remember that experiencing yourself in stillness is the most direct way to experience yourself with clarity’.

Tadasana allows you to establish this deep connection with yourself. So next time you’re on the mat, rather than rush through Tadasana, try spending some time experiencing this incredible posture fully.

Yoga For Your Posture

What is a healthy posture? A good posture is one that is balanced, relaxed, and long lasting. Healthy posture allows natural movement of energy within our bodies and minds. On the other hand, poor posture tends to be unbalanced, tensed and collapsed, causing mental and physical strain that could otherwise be avoided.

In the yoga asana (posture) practice we look for the quality of ‘Sthira Sukham’. The Sanskrit word ‘Sthira’ can be translated to mean firm, steady or lasting and ‘Sukham’ refers to happiness, delight and comfort. Therefore, we are looking for a steady and comfortable posture. You will find that when these qualities exist at the same time, it will naturally be long lasting and sustainable.

So how can we achieve these qualities? First of all, it seems obvious but one of the most important factors for improving your posture is awareness. Like most things, without awareness it’s difficult to make conscious lasting changes. Although, at first this seems like a simple advice, it’s actually really hard to be aware of your posture, especially when you’re concentrating on something else. For example, working on a computer or doing the house work. We tend to only notice our posture when parts of our body start to ache as a result of being in a bad position for too long.

How can we be more aware of our body when we are focusing on something else? Bizarrely, the key to this answer is again awareness or attentiveness. If we are more conscious of how we use our body in our everyday life, we can know when we’ve collapsed our posture. It’s then easier to pay more attention during this time and make the necessary adjustments. Although, it sound easy this is a continuous process and we need to adapt and be mindful as our life changes.

The good news is that more yoga practice you do, more attentive and aware you can be of your body and mind. Regular asana practice will help to create a relaxed and strong body and mind, and help to create healthier and more balanced posture.

Downward Facing Dog

I recently wrote an article for the Clifton Life magazine on releasing the lower back. This pose is a wonderful pose not only for back problems but great for strengthening and improving flexibility for your legs and shoulders. We practice downward facing dog all the time in my classes and it gets easier more that you practice.

Q. I suffer from lower back problems. What can I do to alleviate the pain?

A. Back problems are one of the most common complaints in modern day life. There are plenty of exercises and asanas (postures) you can do to help alleviate lower back issues but it’s also important to find ways of future prevention. Bringing awareness to your everyday posture and alignment and strengthening core stability muscles is one of the first steps to preserving a strong back.

Daily Yoga practice is one of the most effective ways of improving and preventing back problems. The following pose is ideal for stretching the lower back and building a strong abdominal area. It will also strengthen your upper body and release the backs of the legs.

1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward facing dog)

Come into a table top position, on your hands and knees. Spreading your fingers wide, placing your hands shoulder width apart and knees directly underneath your hips. With a deep exhalation, lift your knees and buttocks upwards; try to lift your sitting bones high and tuck your tailbone under to engage your core stability muscles. Keep your arms straight and strong and open the chest, bringing length to the sides of the body. Work towards getting your heels on the ground. Make sure that your shoulders and neck are relaxed. Breathe deep and smoothly throughout the pose.

Modification: If you have tight hamstrings, bend the knees so that you can lengthen your lower back effectively.