Ah, Tadasana (or Mountain Pose as it’s better known). Often overlooked for its importance (let’s face it, it’s not very exciting), Tadasana is actually an incredibly important pose during pregnancy. It is the perfect position for working on correct alignment as well as countering fallen arches in your feet.
We’re all guilty of standing poorly during pregnancy. Movie and TV culture have ingrained in us that pregnant women stand with their bellies out and their backs arched. This is a terrible position for pregnancy! It causes back pain to worse and stomach muscles become weaker as pregnancy progresses. Tadasana helps combat this misalignment by encouraging you to tuck your tailbone under and lift your belly up, engaging the core muscles of the body.
Start by standing tall, with your feet hips distance or slightly wider. Your hands are by your side at the beginning. Tuck your tailbone under and engage your stomach muscles, lifting your baby up and in. Draw your shoulder blades down your back, taking your shoulders down away from your ears as well. Relax your face and think about lifting up through the arches of your feet, engaging the muscles of your legs all the way up to your thighs. All your toes and your heels remain firm on the ground underneath you.
You can stay here for a few breaths or lift your arms straight up overhead with your palms facing one another.
Remember that this is an active pose, so your muscles are engaged during the pose. It’s easy to stand in the pose without engaging the muscles but to get the full benefits, you need to be actively holding all elements of the pose and taking in full deep breaths.
As you move through your yoga practice, pay attention that you give just as much to Tadasana as you do to the other poses. If you find yourself standing poorly throughout the day, stop and try to hold full Tadasana for 4-5 deep breaths. If you work on it daily, you’ll feel the benefits of the pose within no time.
Namaste and Happy Yog-ing!
