How to Manage Yoga Positions

How to Manage Yoga Positions

Performing a yoga pose properly is essential to receive maximum benefits to all the areas that it was developed to target.

Tadasana is the stance from which all standing asansas are begun. This fundamental pose is also known as the Yoga Mountain Pose, and this posture is completely balanced.

Many yoga poses have been developed for strengthening the body and for improvement of posture through balance. They focus on knees, thighs and ankles. Placement of feet, the position of your head, the lifting or extension of different parts of your anatomy along with focus and breathing all contribute to proper performance of various yoga poses. You can readily understand that focus and concentration are required to do them correctly.

Here are a few tips to highlight how to manage or maneuver, hold, release or extend different areas of your body for the Tadasana Pose, which is often hard to discern from photos.

Remind yourself of these shortcut summaries when learning to attain and maintain a proper yoga position with great results.

Stand with the bases of your big toes touching and heels slightly apart, balancing your weight evenly on the metatarsal bones in your feet.
Lift and spread your toes slowly and the balls of your feet as well.

Return them gently to the floor.

Rock yourself back and forth and even side to side.

You may gradually reduce this swaying to maintain a standstill, with your weight balanced evenly on your feet.

Tighten your thigh muscles and then pull up on the knee caps, thighs and hips. Do this without tightening your lower belly.
Pull up on the inner ankles to strengthen the internal arches.

Next, expand your chest, neck and spine in this manner:

Thighs should be turned inward slowly; pull in slightly on your belly.

Picture a line of energy all the way up along your inner thighs up to your groin.

Envision this energy continue to rise up the core of your neck, torso, and head, and finally out through the crown of your head.

Make your tailbone longer towards the floor and raise the pubis in the direction of the navel.

Push your shoulder blades into your back, then broaden them crossways, then release them down your back.
Lift the top of your sternum straight toward the ceiling, taking care not to push your lower front ribs forward.

Broaden your collarbones and suspend your arms alongside the torso.

The crown of your head should be balanced over the middle of your pelvis, with the base of your chin parallel to the floor.

Relax your throat.

Allow the tongue to rest limply on the floor of your mouth.

Relax your eyes.

Release fingers, drop hands straight and keep them stiff.

For the Tadasana, holding the pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute while breathing easily, is satisfactory.