Tāḍāsana, the mountain pose

3 min read · Updated October 16, 2026 · sources checked October 16, 2026

Sanskrit: ताडासनTāḍāsana
Meaning of the name: Mountain pose: tāḍa, explained as mountain (Monier-Williams gives a blow first; the related tāla is the palm tree), and āsana, posture
Level: Beginner
Family: Standing
In the texts: Modern posture, absent from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Gheranda Samhita

In short

Tāḍāsana, the mountain pose, is the basic standing posture: feet together or hip-width apart, weight spread evenly over both feet, legs active, spine long, arms relaxed at the sides, breath slow through the nose. Hold it for five to ten breaths. It is a modern posture and the starting point of every standing sequence.

Standing still looks like nothing. Try it for ten breaths, eyes open, attention on the soles of the feet, and you will discover how much the body sways, leans and clenches. Tāḍāsana is the lesson underneath every standing posture: grounded, upright, at ease. It is also the first and last position of the sun salutation.

Steps

Stand at the front of the mat with the feet together, big toes touching, or hip-width apart if that is steadier. The outer edges of the feet are parallel.
Lift and spread the toes, then lay them back down. Feel the weight on four points of each foot: the inner heel, the outer heel, the base of the big toe and the base of the little toe.
Draw the kneecaps up gently by engaging the thighs, without locking the knees backward.
Let the tailbone drop towards the floor and the lower belly draw in slightly; the lower back keeps its natural curve.
Lift the breastbone without pushing the ribs forward. Let the shoulders roll back and down, arms alongside the body, palms facing the thighs.
Lengthen the back of the neck, chin level, eyes resting on a point at eye height.
Breathe slowly through the nose for five to ten breaths. To come out, simply relax and walk on.

Alignment

Seen from the side, the ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle line up roughly on one vertical.
The weight is shared evenly between both feet, and between heels and forefoot.
Effort without strain: the legs are awake, the face and jaw are soft.

Variations

Gentle version: feet hip-width apart, back of the head, shoulder blades and buttocks lightly against a wall to feel the vertical.
With a block: hold a block between the upper thighs to feel the inner legs working.
Arms raised (often called ūrdhva hastāsana): inhale and raise the arms overhead, palms facing, shoulders away from the ears.
Palm-tree form: arms overhead and heels lifted, as some Indian schools teach under this name. Keep a wall within reach.
Seated version: sit tall on the front of a chair, feet flat; see chair yoga.

Contraindications

Dizziness or low blood pressure: keep the feet apart, the eyes open, and stand near a wall. Come out at once if the vision blurs.
Balance problems: practise with a chair or wall within reach; skip the heel-lifted variation.
Pregnancy: stand with the feet hip-width or wider apart.
Knees that hyperextend: keep a micro-bend so the weight does not hang on the joint.

In the texts

Tāḍāsana is a modern posture. Neither the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (fifteen postures) nor the Gheranda Samhita (thirty-two) describes a simple standing position; the only standing pose in the Gheranda Samhita is the tree, vṛkṣāsana, on one leg (2.36). The name appears in twentieth-century Indian teaching, and schools do not agree on its exact form.

The name itself is a small puzzle. Modern manuals translate tāḍa as "mountain"; the Monier-Williams dictionary gives "a blow" first, and lists "a mountain" as a meaning found only in lexicons. The closely related tāla is the palmyra palm, which explains the palm-tree version. What the posture keeps from the old texts is the quality Patañjali asks of every āsana: steady and at ease, sthira-sukham (Yoga Sutra 2.46).

Good to know

Close the eyes for three breaths once you are steady. The small swaying you feel is normal: it is the body balancing itself.

Where to go next

Mountain pose leads directly into the triangle, Warrior I and the tree. If you are new, start with the sequence of basic poses for beginners, and see the full list in the asanas chapter.

Questions people ask

Is tadasana the same as samasthiti?

Many schools use the two names for the same upright stance. In the Ashtanga Vinyasa tradition, samasthiti, standing evenly, is the name of the position that opens and closes the sun salutations.

What are the benefits of mountain pose?

No study isolates tāḍāsana on its own. What it gives you is concrete: it teaches you to feel how your weight is spread over your feet and how to stand tall without stiffening, which every standing pose then uses.

Why do some teachers raise the arms and heels in tadasana?

In some Indian schools, the Bihar School for example, tāḍāsana is taught with the arms stretched overhead and the heels lifted, like a palm tree, because the related word tāla means the palmyra palm.

Sources

Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), entry tāḍa, Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries checked October 16, 2026
Gheraṇḍasaṃhitā, Sanskrit text, chapter 2 (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 16, 2026
Patañjali, Yogasūtra, Sanskrit text (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 16, 2026

Practise gently and within your limits. Yoga is learnt best with a qualified teacher; this page does not replace one.