Dandasana

Dandasana

Danda = Staff or Stick

Staff Pose

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Basic Form:

1.  Sit on the floor with your legs extended straight out in front of your torso, inner edges of your legs & feet together.  Keep your heels on the floor as you press the entire back surface of your legs towards the floor.

2.  Press your heels forward & reach your toes straight up.  Extend through the big toe sides of your feet to lengthen the inner edge of both legs.

3. Press your palms or fingertips into the floor beside your hips  & sit up straight, with your torso perpendicular to the floor (and your legs). 

4.  Keep your weight slightly forward on your sit bones, as you lift up from the center of your chest (sternum).  Without hardening your belly, draw your low abdomen & floating ribs back towards your spine.

5.  Draw your shoulder blades in & down your back.  Keep your chest lifted & broad.

6.  Keep your neck & head in a neutral position, gazing straight ahead.

Practice Tips:

Most people will benefit from sitting on the front edge 1-3 folded blankets.  This elevation tilts the pelvis forward, helping to straighten the spine with less effort.  It is much better to support yourself in this way & work on the other aspects of the poser than to strain so hard to sit up straight (or do the pose with a rounded back).   You may also practice Dandasana with your legs & feet slightly separated.

Subtle & Advanced Practice:

You can check your posture by practicing Dandasana with your back against a wall; your sacrum & shoulder blades should touch the wall, but not your low back or head.

Benefits of the pose:

Dandasana strengthens the leg & back muscles, and improves posture.  It may also help with sciatica.

Contraindications:

People with wrist or low back injuries should practice Dandasana with caution.  If you are pregnant, always separate your legs & feet at least 5 inches (or even take your legs as wide as your mat) & sit on the edge of at least two folded blankets.  

Without Fear

  I am inviting you to go deeper, to learn and to practice, so that you
become someone who has a great capacity for being solid, calm, and
without fear - because our society needs people like you who have these
qualities, and your children, our children, need people like you, in 

order to go on, in order to become solid, and calm, and without fear.

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Tadasana

Tadasana

Tada = Mountain

Mountain Pose

In Tadasana, the opposing actions create a pose that is solid & steady, like a mountain.

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Basic Form:

1.  Stand straight & tall, with the inner edges of your feet together.  Stand evenly in both your left & your right foot, and also between the front & back of each foot.

2.  Harden your thigh muscles by drawing up on your kneecaps & straightening your legs completely.  Roll your inner thighs back toward the wall behind you.

3.  Lengthen your tailbone down toward your heels & release your lowest ribs back toward your spine, as you grow taller by lifting up from the very center of your chest (sternum).

4.  Keep your shoulders rolled back & draw your shoulder blades down your back.  Extend your fingertips toward the floor, palms facing in.

5.  Gaze straight ahead  & reach the crown of your head for the ceiling.

6.  Continue all these actions for up to a minute.

Beginner’s Tips:

Practicing Tadasana with a brick between your thighs can help bring awareness to some of the more subtle actions of this pose.

You may also find it useful to stand with the inner edges your feet a few inches apart for balance.  Make sure the outer edges of your feet are parallel.

Subtle & Advanced Practice:

You can challenge yourself & deepen your experience of Tadasna by practicing with your eyes closed.  Use your ‘inner eye’ to find your alignment & balance.

Benefits of the pose:

While Tadasana is most often used as the starting point for (or resting pose between) other standing poses, it is an extremely beneficial pose in it’s own right. Tadasana teaches balance, improves postures, helps reduce flat feet, and may relieve sciatica.

Contraindications:

Tadasana is a pose that can be done by almost everyone.  Anyone suffering from insomnia, low blood pressure, or has a headache should not stay in Tadasana for very long.