Standing poses are the basic grounding and centering asanas and are ideal as a starting practice. These poses work on integrating the body, balancing flexibility, strength, endurance and co- ordination. They work on all these elements simultaneously, moving the body through a full range of motion preparing it for deeper poses.
Just like a firm foundation creates balance for a building, so do the standing poses for the body, as they keep us rooted and connected to the earth, helping us to balance on our feet. We can align our foundation from the ankles, through the knees, to the pelvis and tailbone, therefore connecting the core of the body to the earth.
By creating awareness of alignment the standing poses also create an organic understanding of how the body works and moves.
In standing poses, spread your toes and feel where the ball of the foot and heel connect with the ground beneath your feet.
An erect spine is the basis of a good posture, but this does not mean that the spine should be ramrod straight. A spine that is correctly aligned lifts from the sacrum – the shield shaped bone at its base which forms the back of the pelvis and stretches up falling into its natural curve.
Hence getting the basic understanding of alignment for the standing poses we can go onto understanding a few of these poses, which if correctly practiced can be very beneficial.
These standing asanas are :-
- Mountain Pose [Tadasana]
- Standing Forward Bend [Uttanasana]
- Triangle Pose [ Utthita Trikonasana]
- Side Triangle [Utthita Parshavakonasana]
- Tree Pose [ Vrikshasana]
- Warrior 1 [Virabhadrasana 1]
- Chair Pose [Utkatasana]
- Dancer’s Pose [Natrajasana]
- Raised Hand to Big Toe Pose [Utthita Hasta Padangusthanasana]
- Downward Dog [ Adho Mukha Svanasana]