When a patient first comes into my office for an assessment, the first thing I look at is how they stand. More then likely, they will stand with one foot in rotation. There is most likely some slouching. Their arms are forward which then cause their shoulders to be rounded forward. Their head is also in a forward position. I am sure you get the picture. Very rarely do I see someone who has ideal standing posture.
The first thing I do then is to correct their standing posture. I introduce to them, Tadasana, mountain pose.
Instructions on Standing
I layer each of these instructions. I also rarely give them these instructions in writing. Instead, I think it is much more important for them to have a felt sense of their body as they add on each of these alternations in their standing.
1. Feet Position
Their feet should be hip width apart. Not “bum-width”! Most people will put their feet way too wide. In fact, the worse their balance is, the wider their feet will be. Think of a toddler learning to walk. Since they are just learning and their balance is not quite there, they keep their feet very wide and angled outwards to compensate.
Once the feet are hip width apart, I get them to look at their 2nd toes to make sure they are pointing forward. I call them the “train tracks”. If the 2nd toes aren’t straight, then the rest of the train can move forward because it’s not on track. I don’t use the big toe for reference because many have bunions and it would be difficult to get that toe straight.
2. Leg Strength
When the feet are positioned properly, I get them to lift their toes up but maintaining weight through the big toe mound and the little toe mound. As they do this, have them feel their quadricep muscles engaging. Remember the muscles of the leg, including the buttocks, are the biggest muscles in the body. They are designed to hold the rest of the body up and to be able to propel the legs forward in ambulation.
3. Pelvis Position
Keeping the feet straight and engaging the leg muscles, instruct them to get their pelvis into neutral. They’ll know they are in this position when the bony protuberances of their hip bones and their pubic bones are on the same vertical plane
You may have to verbally cue them to ‘stick their bum out’. Just watch that they are not over doing it. Generally, the wouldn’t be. As most of us spend a lot of time sitting in chairs, our pelvis has the tendency to be more tucked under then too much sticking out. They will probably feel like they have it sticking way out! But reassure them that it just feels that way compared to how they have had the position.
It’s important that the pelvis is in neutral to ensure that the hip joints are aligned. I believe that yoga classes spend a lot of time ‘opening the hips’ but in reality, the joint itself is not in proper alignment, causing tightness of the soft tissues. With a neutral pelvis, ask them if they can feel a widening of the pelvis. This widening sensation translates into a better position of the sacrum within the pelvis bones. Thus creating more stability in the SI joints. So for those clients that keep complaining of SI joint instability or pain, by alignment of the pelvis and thus promoting the pelvic floor muscles to engage, there will be more stability felt in the pelvis.
4. Arms
Take a look to see where their hands are as they are standing. With poor, slumped posture, the shoulders round forward and as a result, the arms follow and would then hang in the front. With better posture, their hands and arms would hang more to the side of the body.
If your client has complaints of shoulder problems such as tendinitis, bursitis, arthritis, or just pain in general, take a look at how their arm positions. With the forward position of the shoulder, the rotator cuff muscles are put in a precarious position and more likely to wear and tear.
Now You Can Do Your Assessment
If the above steps are followed, then what happens is the head position naturally falls back into a better aligned position. The client will already begin to feel taller and have more ease in their breathing.
From this position, you can then can determine what you need to look at. Perhaps there is a scoliosis, or their head is tilted. Maybe one shoulder is higher then the other. Maybe one set of arches in the foot has collapsed.
Being in proper Tadasana will give you a better vantage point of assessing what else needs to be worked on. It is also the starting and foundational pose for all other poses.
Proper Tadasana Works on Deep Core Muscles
I will often give patients this as a homework assignment. I advise them to adopt this position whenever they can and to interrupt a day sitting at the desk. That way, they are taking their yoga off the mat and practicing all day to develop awareness!
The deep core muscles are 4 groups of muscles that engage and work together to form the “girdle” of the low back and pelvis area. With proper engagement, they serve to protect or backs. These muscles are: pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominus, mutlifidus, and diaphragm. In order for these muscles to efficiently protect the back, there must be proper alignment first. Practicing Tadasana puts the pelvis and spine in a neutral position which is much more conducive for these deep inner core muscles to engage properly.
Once they are able to come into this neutral alignment in standing, add diaphragmatic breathing so that they can begin to develop the awareness of the deep core muscles all coming into synchrony and working to stabilize the spine.
Tadasana and Rehabilitation
It is also amazing that when you are standing properly and engaging the big muscles of the leg, how much muscular work is happening. With proper breathing, you may actually feel like you are working out! Some patients even break out in a mild sweat because they are working those big muscles so much. If they are generating energy and sweat, they are also working on metabolism. In yoga, we call this digestive fire, Agni.
In Tadasana, the big muscles of the legs are also activated and fully engaged to provide the foundation of the standing position. As a result, the glutes, hamstrings, and quads are quite activated. However, these big muscles are active all at once and in balance because the body is in a neutral position.
Hamstring tightness is a very common issue in our modern day lifestyle where we spend a lot of time sitting. With hamstring tightness, there is also a weakness in the gluteal muscle and an overuse of hip flexors. In many yoga classes, there is a large focus on ‘hip openers’ and hamstring releases. Unfortunately, just doing asanas will not solve this problem. The problem with imbalances is that due to prolonged sitting, there is less of an input for certain muscles to be used: deep core, hamstrings, glutes, and the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder girdle and neck. Stretching alone will not resolve tight muscles.
What’s more important is to teach the body to activate muscles in a more balanced and functional way. Standing is functional! Proper standing is working on lengthening and strengthening muscles in a very functional way!
Tadasana is the Foundation of ALL Yoga Poses
Iyengar once said “once we can master Tadasana, then all the other poses come”. When I started working with my yoga guru, I spent four hours working on the nuances of Tadasana. To this day, when I see my guru, I still get corrected. But it is through this pose that we learn to develop an awareness of not only our physical body, but also the ability to tune into the more subtle energies and the evenness of this energy. It is from there that we can determine what our practice needs, and what we need at that moment.
I encourage all of you to commit to a Tadasana practice. Begin to feel your feet rooting to the ground, feel the dynamic lengthening of the spine with each breath. Can you feel the breath move up the center to the crown of your head? Can you feel the downward energy from your pelvis, down your legs to the ground? And as you begin to work with your breath, can you feel where you are stuck?