Tadasana Defined

What Is Tadasana?

Tadasana, or Mountain Pose, is standing. Just standing. And yet—there's nothing "just" about it. In this deceptively simple posture, you'll find the blueprint for all standing poses, the alignment principles that transfer to every asana in your practice.

The pose asks you to stand tall and rooted, like a mountain. Feet grounded, spine long, shoulders relaxed, crown reaching upward. It sounds obvious—until you actually pay attention to how you normally stand: weight shifted to one side, shoulders hunched, head jutting forward, tension held in places you didn't notice.

Tadasana is both a starting point and a destination. It begins and ends Sun Salutations. It's the home base you return to between standing poses. And for some practitioners, it becomes a meditation in itself—the practice of being fully present in the body, standing on the earth.

How to Practice Tadasana

Start by simply standing, then refine from the ground up:

1. Place your feet — Together or hip-width apart, parallel, grounding evenly through all four corners
2. Engage your legs — Thighs lightly active, kneecaps lifting (not locking)
3. Level your pelvis — Neither tucking nor arching excessively; find neutral
4. Lengthen your spine — Tailbone descends as crown ascends
5. Open your chest — Collarbones wide, shoulder blades gently down the back
6. Relax your arms — Alongside your body, palms facing forward or toward thighs
7. Balance your head — Chin parallel to floor, ears over shoulders
8. Soften your face — Eyes, jaw, tongue, forehead all relaxed

Alignment from Ground Up

The Body Scan

Use this checklist to refine your Tadasana from bottom to top:

Benefits of Tadasana

• Improves posture and body awareness
• Strengthens thighs, ankles, and core
• Teaches foundational alignment principles
• Creates mental focus and presence
• Reduces flat feet over time
• Provides starting point for all standing poses
• Calms the nervous system
• Builds proprioceptive awareness

Variations

Tadasana in Practice

You'll encounter Tadasana throughout your practice:

• Beginning of class — Often where practice begins, setting intention and arriving in the body
• In Sun Salutations — The first and last pose of the sequence
• Between standing poses — The "home base" to return to and reset
• As a standalone practice — Held for extended periods as meditation
• Off the mat — The alignment principles apply whenever you're standing

Taking It Off the Mat

Tadasana isn't just a yoga pose—it's a way of being in your body. Once you understand the alignment principles, you can apply them anywhere: standing in line, waiting for the subway, washing dishes. The practice becomes a constant recalibration, a return to presence.

Notice how you stand when you're not thinking about it. Do you shift weight to one hip? Collapse in your lower back? Jut your head forward toward a screen? Tadasana awareness reveals these patterns. And awareness is the first step toward change.