UTTHITA TADASANA: STAR POSE
Anytime I’m feeling low, disempowered, ungrounded, I find my power again in this pose. Standing with the feet firmly planted, muscles engaged, taking up space. The way we position our bodies affects us energetically, and I love that yoga gives us the tools we need to take conscious control of our own embodiment.
BENEFITS OF STAR POSE:
strengthens the whole body
grounding
energizing
relieves fatigue
empowering - boosts confidence
improves posture
improves circulation
increases breathing capacity (more prana = more energy)
TRADITIONAL VARIATION
Start in Tadasana. From here, step the feet wide, about three feet apart. Press down evenly into all four corners of the feet and lift up through the arches. Engage the quads and inner thighs, keeping a microbend in the knees. Lengthen the tailbone and scoop the low abs in and up. Pull the front ribs in. You can keep the hands at your hips or together in prayer at the heart. For more challenge, you can extend them into a T position either with the palms face down or palms facing forward. Hold for 5-10 deep breaths.
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER:
Keep your muscles active!
Strong core
Feel yourself rooting down as you simultaneously rise up
note: This pose is typically done with all 10 toes facing forward, but you can experiment with turning the toes out 45 degrees and see which one feels better for you
YOU CAN ALSO FIND THIS POSE IN THIS YOGA CLASS.
CHAIR VARIATION
For the chair variation of this pose, sit at the edge of the seat with your feet flat on the floor. Take the knees wide and press firmly into the feet. The ankles should be directly below the knees. Pull the navel in toward your spine. Sit up tall. Keep the hands on your hips, together at prayer or extend the arms into T position. Hold for 5-10 deep breaths.
SEATED VARIATION
Come into sukhasana and take the arms wide to focus on upper body strengthening. This is great if you have balance issues or joint pain in the lower body. Hold for 5-10 deep breaths.
SUPINE VARIATION
Lie flat on your back with the shoulders in line with your hips. Extend the legs and take the feet wide. Flex the feet and activate the legs. Take the arms into T position with the palms facing up. Spread the finger tips. Hold for 10 deep breaths. Then relax the muscles. You can rest here as an alternative to savasana if you’d like. It can feel very empowering to let your body soread out and take up space.
HOW DID IT GO?
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