Tadasana

Tāḍāsana

Man performing Tadasana from the front. Tadasana - Yoga Art and Science.jpg

Man performing Tadasana from the front
Etymology
English Name(s) Tadasana
Mountain Pose
Sanskrit ताडासन / Tāḍāsana
समस्थितिः / Samasthitiḥ
Pronunciation [tɑːɖɑːsɐnɐ]
[sɐmɐst̪ʰit̪ih]
Meaning tāḍa: "mountain"
āsana: "posture"
or
sama: "upright"
sthiti: "stand"
Key Points
dṛṣṭi (gaze) नासाग्र दृष्टि / nāsāgra dṛṣṭi (to nose)
Asana Type Standing Asanas
Difficulty Rating Beginner[1]
Base Asana Tāḍāsana is itself a fundamental āsana
Anatomy
Muscles Stretched --
Ligaments Stretched --
Muscles Working Intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscles, quadriceps, iliopsoas, piriformis, abdominal wall, and diaphragm
Joint Actions Mild Axial Extension: Lumbar, thoracic, cervical curves
Neutral: Ankle, hip, shoulder, wrist joints
Extended: Knee and elbow joints
Pronated: Forearms
Lifting Action: Arches of the feet, the pelvic floor, lower abdomen, rib cage, cervical spine, the top of the head
Downward Grounding: scapulae, tailbone, points of contact in the feet
Usage
Styles of Yoga Yoga Krama, Ashtanga Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Hatha Yoga
Location in Ashtanga Vinyasa Series Sūrya Namaskāra and interspersed throughout all series

Tadasana (IPA: [tɑːɖɑːsɐnɐ]; Sanskrit: ताडासन; IAST: Tāḍāsana), Samasthiti (IPA: [sɐmɐst̪ʰit̪ih]; Sanskrit: समस्थिति; IAST: samasthitiḥ), or Mountain Pose[2] is an asana. Depending on the Yoga lineage practised, Samasthitiḥ and Tāḍāsana may refer to the same asana or another similar asana.[3]

Etymology

Depending on the style of yoga, both Sanskrit names (Tāḍāsana and Samasthitiḥ) may refer to the same asana; one from the Sanskrit words tāḍa (Sanskrit: ताड [4] meaning "mountain"[5]) and āsana (Sanskrit: आसन [6] meaning "posture" or "seat"[7]), and the other from sama (Sanskrit: सम meaning "upright", "straight",[8] "equal", "level" [9] or "balanced" [10]), and sthiti (Sanskrit: स्थिति meaning "stand" or "stay" [11]).

Description

It is the basic standing asana[8] in most forms of yoga with feet together and hands at the sides of the body. There is some contention between different styles of yoga regarding the details of the asana which results in some variations.

Although Tāḍāsana is a very basic asana, it is the basis and starting point for many standing asanas.[8]As such, Tāḍāsana is important in the context of other āsanas because it allows the body and consciousness to integrate the experience of the preceding āsana and prepare for the next. [5] Further, as a common and fundamental asana, Tāḍāsana can help develop habits for further practice and asanas.

Asanas that help prepare for Tāḍāsana include Adho Mukha Svanasana and Uttanasana. Urdhva Hastasana is a very similar asana with the hands raised above the head.

Drishti

The nāsāgra dṛṣṭi (Sanskrit: नासाग्र दृष्टि) at the tip of the nose is the correct dṛṣṭi for Tāḍāsana in the Ashtanga Vinyasa method. Sushumna dṛṣṭi is encouraged to draw the awareness inward. [10]

Bandhas

Uḍḍiyāna Bandha, Mūla Bandha and Jālandhara Bandha are all appropriate for Tāḍāsana.[12]

Variations

Due to terminological differences, Samasthitiḥ is sometimes considered a variation of Tāḍāsana.

There are also asanas which stem from Tāḍāsana but are not standing asanas, such as Supta Tāḍāsana (Reclined Mountain Pose) [17]

Iyengar yoga

In Iyengar yoga, when performing Tāḍāsana, the arms can be raised over the head or kept at the sides of the legs. In Iyengar yoga styles, Samasthitiḥ is synonymous with Tāḍāsana. [8]

Tāḍāsana appears in the 1st and 2nd weeks, of Iyengar's āsana courses (as detailed in Light on Yoga).[18]

Vinyasa Krama Yoga

In the Vinyasa Krama Yoga Tāḍāsana is performed on the toes, while samasthitiḥ is flat footed. In this style of yoga the two āsanas are different.[19]

In Vinyasa Krama Yoga, Samasthitiḥ is the centerpiece of the standing sequence and the foundation for the Hasta Vinyasas (arm vinyasas), Parsva Bhangi (side) vinyasas, Uttanasana (forward bending) vinyasas, and squatting/hip stretching asanas.[19]

In the Vinyasa Krama Yoga standing sequence, the final asana of the series (before śavāsana) is Tāḍāsana, performed on the toes.[19]

Ashtanga yoga

In Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Tāḍāsana is the beginning and ending asana in the Sūrya Namaskāra sequence which is used to warm up the body and is sometimes interspersed throughout the entirety of all Ashtanga Series if performed with full vinayasas, in addition to being a foundational pose for all standing poses.[20]

Key aspects

Key aspects of Tāḍāsana are:

As with most yoga asana, when entering an asana, distal body parts are best arranged first, progressively adjusting inwards and putting proximal body parts in place last.[28]

Effects

The asana strengthens the abdomen and the legs. It may help relieve sciatica, reduce flat feet, and help plantar fasciitis and heel spurs by improving the strength of deeper foot muscles which support your foot, and reducing the load on the less suited plantar fascia. [22]

Cautions

Anatomy

Parts of the body which play an important role in performing this asana are: both the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of the feet, the quadriceps, the iliopsoas muscles, the piriformis, abdominal wall, and the diaphragm.[1]

The position of the body can be described anatomically as:

If the hands are raised over the head, palms together, (as per the variation) this stretches the thoracic cavity and rib structures including the intercostal muscles and expands the thoracic cavity increasing lung capacity. A slight back bend could be included to accentuate the effect and stretch the front of the body, chest and ribs more.[33][34]

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

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