Pose of the Month

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

This is a pose you can take with you to the grocery store.

Those moments when you find yourself waiting in line could be opportunities to practice Tadasana – a deceptively simple yoga pose that reaps many benefits. First, just notice how you are standing. You may be surprised to find you’re slouching or poking out one hip and pouring all of your weight down one leg. Now, stand with your feet slightly apart and see if they are parallel to one another. This will tell you a lot about your body’s unconscious habits.

Now find parallel and attempt to push the floor away from you with your feet. Feel the muscles in your legs engage and your spine naturally lengthen upward. The top of your head floats towards the ceiling and the top of your sternum gently follows. Your shoulders are relaxed away from your ears and your shoulder blades are released down your back. Your arms are at your side, along the seam of your pants. They’re not stiff, like a toy soldier, but they aren’t limp and asleep either. They feel alive.

Lift your gaze to the horizon. Let your eyes be soft, relax your jaw and let your tongue fall to the bottom of your mouth. Rock forward onto the balls of your feet and back on to your heels and watch how this feels in your body. Go back and forth a few times and then find the place that feels like the center. You may notice that the low belly has drawn slightly in toward your spine and your breathing is slower and deeper. Lift the corners of your mouth slightly and stay here for several breaths. Experience all the tiny adjustments your body naturally makes to keep returning you to center.

As often as you can today, take note of how you are standing. Then see how your energy can subtly shift as you bring yourself into Tadasana. Like seeing Mt. Rainier after weeks of gray clouds, it can evoke a quality of quiet strength and beauty you may have forgotten was there.