Tadasana Video Transcript

Today, I’m excited about sharing Yoga with you. I thank you for inviting me into your practice. Today I’d like to start with you the fundamental standing pose, Tadasana.  The power of Tadasana is to engage with the awareness of standing.

As I stand in Tadasana, I’m going to bring my feet together flat on the floor and pull my toes off the floor, and feel how it feels to move side to side and forward and back, to find the point of balance in this Yoga pose.

As I root my feet down into the ground, I’ll press my big toe down into the floor and then open and spread through the toes. That should feel very grounded. Try to imagine energy moving down into your feet, and then from that downward energy into the earth, think about lifting and lengthening all the way through the spine and up through the crown of the head.

The other elements to engage with in Tadasana, because it’s a very active pose, is to tuck the tailbone gently under, engage the quadriceps to lift the kneecap, and draw in slightly at the abdomnen. What this is doing is engaging the core. Continue to lift and lengthen through the spine as you draw the shoulder blades gently back and down into the back. Normally, during the day, we may get the heaviness of the world upon us, so we’re going to open through the heart, in the center of the chest. Not the physical heart, but the energetic heart. To do this, think about lengthening through he collar bones, from the center of the chest, out toward the shoulders. Gently hug the shoulders back and down into the back. Make sure you don’t overly arch through the low back as you make this adjustment. Again, gently pulling in at the navel.

To get an even greater openness in the heart, take your hands out to the side and turn them palm up. Gently look up. Keep that openness while releasing your hands back to normal.  Draw your chin down and in toward the neck to keep the neck inline with the spine. Lengthen the fingertips down toward the floor. And then breathe! 5 deep breathes in this Yoga pose. Deep breath in, expand with the breath as you exhale, complete exhalation.

Feel the power of  Tadasana by feeling the power of the mountain.  As you breathe, breathe in and expand and feel yourself as a mountain, experience the qualities and the inner state of the mountain. Yogis put together these poses by looking at nature. Nature taught them Yoga. So we want to rekindle our connection with nature through our practice of Yoga, and Mountain Pose is a great way to do it.
If you have mountains near you (where you live), look at the mountains and try to feel the qualities of the mountain, the steadiness, the solidness, the silence within the mountains. Really imbibe it inside as you’re holding the Mountain Pose. Breathe in deep and exhale long for 5 deep breaths.

Tadasana is your first practice and you can practice this Yoga pose anywhere. The idea is to engage with and be present with your body, in this moment. Feel your connection to the earth, lift and lengthen toward the sky, imbibe the qualities of nature that are all around you, ever present, in every moment, teaching us.

Namaste.

How many times have you been to a Yoga class and it smelled like funk in there after the class? And you found that your Yoga mat smelled too? Well, this video will show you how to make your own Yoga mat cleaner so you can be free from that funky smell. What you’ll need is a spray bottle, water, witch hazel, tea tree oil, and essential oils (whatever appeals to you). Tea tree oil contains natural antimicrobial properties, so this will not only make your Yoga mat smell nice, it will also disinfect your Yoga mat naturally. This homemade yoga mat cleaner is easy to make. Here’s the recipe:

Yoga Mat Cleaner Recipe

• 1/2 water
• 1/2 witch hazel
• 18 drops tea tree oil
• 6 drops lavender
• 2 drops lemon grass

Watch How to Make Your Own Yoga Mat Cleaner on Vimeo.

Q: Which Yoga poses are beneficial for high blood pressure?

A: Studies have shown that can be an effective complimentary treatment for high blood pressure. You may see these studies for yourself by using PubMed and doing a search for “Yoga for high blood pressure.”

Of course, I don’t recommend using Yoga as your only form of treatment, so I encourage you to look at Dr. Weil’s suggestions for natural ways to work with high blood pressure.

Yoga Poses for High Blood Pressure

The primary Yoga poses that are beneficial for high blood pressure incorporate forward bending (placing your head below the rest of your body). These poses include:

1. Head to Knee Pose
2. Standing Forward Bend
3. Seated Forward Bend
4. Downward Facing Dog – make sure to support your head on a blanket, or block.

Don’t expect to go all the way into these poses right away. You should just go to where the stretch is slightly uncomfortable, never to where you experience pain. And breath as you hold the stretches.

These Yoga poses are beneficial because they promote a parasympathetic nervous system response in your body. The parasympathetic response is known as ‘rest and digest.’ This relaxes the body, relieving stress, and helping regulate blood pressure. Energetically, these poses have a yin quality. Yin is the feminine aspect–relaxing, restorative, quiet, internal. Yang qualities, on the other hand, are usually outwardly directed, physically demanding, and energizing.

Contraindications for High Blood Pressure

Some Yoga poses are contraindicated for high blood pressure. These include inversions, where your legs are above your head, or poses where you are balancing on your head. It also includes poses where you are dropping your head back behind your body–for instance, camel, wheel or fish. Most poses with a yang quality are also contraindicated. These include most standing poses like the warrior series (I, II, III, IV), triangle pose, and side angle pose.

The best thing you can do for your practice is to listen to your own body, and connect with a yoga therapist. This is someone who as been trained in the therapeutic applications of Yoga.

During an hour Yoga class, you’ll go through a series of exercises—stretches, postures and breathing. 3500 years of practice has led to the development of these exercises. They strengthen and purify the body while balancing the endocrine, nervous and circulatory system. Although Yoga may improve your flexibility, increase your circulation, and help you breathe easier, it’s more than just ‘exercise.’

Madonna says, “It is a workout for your mind, your body and your soul.” By coordinating your movements with your breath, Yoga reduces stress, and improves your ability to cope. You may find pleasant thoughts increasing while negative emotions decrease. According to Ricky Martin, “It’’s fascinating…it’’s all about getting to know your ‘self.’ Connecting your heart and your mind in order for you to not make compulsive or obsessive decisions in life.” If those things sound good, Yoga might be just what you’re looking for.

Yoga may even help you lose weight. Listen to Lucy’s story— “I was living for the moment when I would be the perfect weight and the mirror reminded me I was never there.” Lucy says, “The Yoga poses you do aren”t ever going to make you thin or lose weight, but through the poses and breathing exercises you get inside yourself. You make a connection you didn”t have before. Yoga taught me whatever weight I am, I am the perfect weight in the moment. I immediately began losing weight because I started feeling better about myself.” In fact, Lucy lost 25 pounds and more importantly, began to love herself.

Now that you’ve heard all the benefits of Yoga, are you ready to try it out? First, let me share a little about the classes.

Like people, Yoga comes in many sizes, shapes, and forms. Classes vary between styles and teachers. So if you try one Yoga class, and you don’t like it, please stay courageous—stick with it or try a different class. I’ve taken over 100 hours of Yoga classes from many different teachers and its amazing the type of variety I’ve experienced. Each teacher offers a particular method of teaching and I’ve received something valuable from them all. Of course, the most important thing for your success is a consistent practice. And if you have the courage to keep trying new things until you find that perfect fit, you’ll go a long way!

Okay, are you ready to get started now? Give Yoga a try, and I’m positive you’ll notice a difference in your life.

Read more about Yoga Week at the National Institute of Health or visit the Office of Research Services for a schedule of events.

1. Start in the same reclined position as belly breathing, either on your bed or the floor. Begin by inhaling into your low belly.

2. Once you’ve filled the low belly, breathe into the ribs. You may want to move your hands up to your ribs so you can feel the ribs expanding with the breath.

3. Once the ribs have expanded as far as they can, continue breathing into the chest. Again, you may wish to move your hands onto your chest so you can feel it expanding with the breath.

4. Exhale in the reverse order, exhaling first from your chest, then your ribs, then your low belly.

5. Continue breathing in and out very deeply for 1-2 minutes to start and work up to 5 minutes daily. Try to make the in breath and out breath as long and sustained as you can.