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Tada means mountain in Sanskrit, which is where the English translation, Mountain Pose, is derived from. This pose is the strong, foundational pose for all standing poses in yoga and serves as the cornerstone of the Sun Salutation. Tadasana teaches you to align your spine, to balance both sides of the body, and to find stability from front to back. Tadasana is the position in which we find focus and become active. While it may not appear to be work, finding the body’s neutral alignment can be a challenge. While standing in Tadasana, become aware of how the body reacts. Do the shoulders roll forward from too much screen time? How does the stability of the pelvis, hips, and back feel at this moment? Neutral and natural are not synonymous.

Float the eyes closed and evaluate your balance.

Forward bends are one of the best ways to increase flexibility through the hamstrings, calves, and hips. While a simple pose at the surface, folds can be difficult for beginner practitioners and injuries are easily sustained without proper alignment and technique.

Step 1: Find tadasana. (Surprise!) Move through your forward bend. Step 2: On your next inhale, bend through the knees and send one leg behind you, planting the toes/ball mound of the foot, and keeping the opposite foot firmly planted. Be sure to step back far enough that you can make a 90 degree angle with the front leg. As you do this, think about simultaneously pressing the chest forward - moving two ways at once. Hands frame out the front leg. Step 3: Use your core muscles to stabilize yourself. Drive the heel towards that back of the room, straightening the leg to the best of your ability. Firm the thigh of the front leg, lifting, feeling strong through the legs. Keep the knee in line with the hip and do not allow it to slip beyond the ankle. Step 4: Begin to lift the torso away from the thigh as you begin to slightly extend the front leg, creating space. With the hands firmly planted, begin to hinge at the back knee and float the foot towards the glutes. In one fluid motion, draw the knee forward and step the back foot forward to meet the front foot in a forward bend. Step 5: Repeat on the opposite side.

More often than not, people lack flexibility through the back, shoulders, and neck. You may find that the head and neck remain outside of the shoulders in their most comfortable position. Think about keeping the neck in line with the spine. Learn to familiarize yourself with your body throughout this program and listen to what feels right. Over time, you may bring the head down and the gaze further toward the back body.

Step 1: Begin by lying on your belly with the head placed down on the mat. Feet are hip-width distance apart. The palms can rest gently in front of the head. Make sure the tops of the feet are pressing into the mat. Begin drawing the hands back towards the body, planting the palms just behind the shoulders near the ribs. Elbows are in line with the wrists. Step 2: Inhale, pressing firmly into the hands, beginning to lift the front body, as you draw the elbows back and into the midline. Fully extend the arms as you open the chest. Draw the shoulders away from the ears as the crown lifts. Gaze is forward or very slightly lifted. Step 3: Press firmly through the tops of the feet, so much so that the legs lift off of the earth. Your only points of contact are the feet and the hands. Rotate the thighs inward to open up the lower back and avoid overarching. Continue to open the heart space by drawing the shoulder blades in as you firmly press through the palms. Step 4: On an exhale, slowly bend into the elbows lowering yourself all the way down to your mat. Step 5: If transitioning from up dog to the mat to cobra, the hands should already be properly positioned. Pressing down with the palms, start to lift the head and the chest as you roll the shoulders back and down. The legs remain in place. Step 6: Continue lifting with the chest rather than the chin, until the top body is no longer making contact with the mat. The hips and low belly are still connected with the earth. Arms are slightly bent, elbows drawn back towards the feet. The pelvis and legs are rooted down and remain so. Stay here for a “baby cobra.”

One of the common concerns is yoga is lack of upper body strength to follow through with chaturangas or more advanced arm balances. In addition to practicing your plank pose, considering building arm strength through various push-ups. Stand facing a wall. Plant your palms on the wall, just below the shoulders keeping your chaturanga alignment in mind. Walk the feet in towards the wall. Begin to bend into the elbows as if you are finding chaturanga. Notice the position of your feet and bring them closer to the wall if necessary. You may use a block lengthwise to try to help find proper alignment here. Practice dropping into your modified chaturangas up against the wall to help build strength. Ready for the floor? Come to plank pose. Drop the knees to the earth, while keeping the hips lifted. Remember your chaturanga arms. Create a long line of energy from the head through the hips and the thighs. Keeping the elbows tight to the body, lower into your chaturanga arms as you exhale. Inhale, press back up. Repeat 5x-8x.

After you’ve perfected the Sun Salutation (noting that there’s no such thing as perfect!), you’re invited for one last challenge! Sun Salutation A, Surya Namaskar A or Sun A, is a bit shorter, but requires a bit more skill and practice to master. Please do not begin to practice Sun A until you feel very confident in your chaturanga skills. In Sun A, we drop our lunges and our plank pose, and jump directly back to our chaturanga. To perform a jump back safely, there are a few tips to remember. Jumping back requires staying light in the toes and strong in the core. It is important to remember that you are not jumping back to a plank pose with straight arms. Draw the navel toward the spine. Keeping the palms planted in forward bend, begin to bend into the knees and the arms. Shoot the feet directly behind you as you lower the torso to chaturanga. The tops of the arms should be perfectly in line with the body, elbows tucked in. Practice a few jump backs and then give Sun A a try! Find Tadasana. (Mountain Pose) Inhale. Urdhva Hastasana. (Upward Salute) Exhale. Uttanasana. (Forward Bend/Fold) Inhale. Ardha Uttanasana. (Half Forward Bend/Fold) Exhale. Plant palms, JUMP BACK, Chaturanga Dandasana. (Four Limbed Staff Pose) Inhale. Urdvha Muhka Svanasana. (Upward Facing Dog) Exhale. Adho Muhka Svanasana. (Downward Facing Dog) 5 breaths. Exhale. Hop to the top of your mat. Inhale. Ardha Uttanasana. (Half Forward Bend/Fold) Exhale. Uttanasana. (Forward Bend/Fold) Inhale. Urdhva Hastasana. (Upward Salute) Exhale. Tadasana. (Mountain Pose) Repeat 3x.

The foundation of every pose.