Tadasana

Tāḍāsana

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
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 Palm tree pose is an asana. Depending on the Yoga lineage practised, Samasthitiḥ and Tāḍāsana may refer to the same asana or another similar asana.

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 meaning palm tree) and āsana (Sanskrit: आसन meaning "posture" or "seat"), and the other from sama (Sanskrit: सम meaning "upright", "straight", "equal", "level" or "balanced" ), and sthiti (Sanskrit: स्थिति meaning "stand" or "stay" ).

It is the basic and the easiest of all standing asana 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.

PROCEDURE:Stand with feet together. Ground down evenly through feet and lift up through the crown of your head. Lift your thighs. Lengthen up through all four sides of your waist, elongating spine. Breathe easy. Although Tāḍāsana is a very basic asana, it is the basis and starting point for many standing asanas.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. Further, as a common and fundamental asana, Tāḍāsana can help develop habits for further practice and asanas.