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Asana Tip Sheet #38 – Utthita Tadasana (5-pointed star)

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Rupali in 5-pointed star

Five-pointed star pose is the quintessential pose for becoming aware of how lines of energy move through a pose.

It’s a great beginner’s pose but don’t let it fool you!

It can also be a massively interesting pose so even an advanced practitioner can get a lot of value and benefit from it. If you use this pose to work on the energetic body, it becomes a rich field of information.

On that level, you can use this pose to witness how energy has the ability to stream through the furthest extension points (fingers, feet, crown of the head and down through the tailbone) in all directions. This movement of energy (inside moving outward) is the movement of vyana vayu. Imagine a star, lit from within, radiating outward an abundance of life force, shining brightly. That’s YOU; made from the same stardust.

The cosmos is within us.
We are made of star-stuff.
We are a way for the universe to know itself.

~  Carl Sagan

It’s also easy to feel how the opposing lines of energy extending out through the fingers in each direction creates a pull across the chest, activating heart energy. The arms are indeed an extension of the heart chakra and have the ability to stream energy out into the Universe, uplifting all within its embrace.

Further accentuating the activating and aligning of the chakras, this pose allows you to feel for the dropping of the tailbone towards the earth and the opposing pull of the crown of the head towards the heavens. The chakras line up on this plumb-line and are the perfect metaphor for us as a bridge between the earthly and spiritual planes.

I like to think I have a weighted string tied to the end of my tailbone that drops all the way down to the core of the earth, tethering me to deep fiery molten lava, which draw power and energy up into my field and base chakra. Then a string attached to the crown of my head draws upward to create a weightless quality of lift that simultaneously draws down clarity and spiritual power from the heavens. This visualization quickly aligns everything from head to toes; from powerful groundedness to the most exalted aspirations.

If held for a couple of minutes, this pose will also work the entire body too, so it’s no slackard in that regard either. Who needs burpees when you have utthita tadasana?

Below are some additional details of this pose…as usual, download this tip sheet at the bottom of this post.

asana name = utthita tadasana (5-pointed star)

  • utthita = extended or outstretched
  • tada = mountain
  • asana = seat

benefits

  • Opens and energizes the whole body.
  • Realigns spinal column and chakras.
  • Improves respiration and circulation.
  • Tones leg and arm muscles.
  • Relieves backache and neck strain.
  • Perfect for unwinding the kinks from sitting.

contraindications

  • None. This pose is safe for everyone.

modifications

  • Hands on hips to assist balance or if shoulders get tired.
  • Raise onto balls of feet for added balance challenge.
  • Close eyes—what do you notice?

attitude

  • Radiant expansion.

Conclusion: Utthita Tadasana

Sometimes simple is better. This pose is one of the easiest to achieve in terms of the final state of the pose. But the dynamics held within it can keep you mesmerized for years and even decades. It has me.

What you can do next

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