Root To Rise

What does your yoga teacher mean when they say " root to rise"? This cue has been recycled and passed down from yoga teacher to yoga teacher, but what does it really mean?

Its usually used when guiding students from Uttanasana, forward fold to stand in Urdhdva Hastasana, extended mountain. When this cue is used, you have most likely stepped forward to the top of your mat into a forward fold and, in my opinion, is a reminder to engage your legs before you come to stand. Basically you are building your Tandasana (mountain pose) legs first to create a strong foundation to sand on before rising up.

How to build Tadasana legs

When building your legs for mountain pose, start from the bottom. Beginning with the feet, lift the arches of your feet by grounding down through the big toe mound, pinky toe mound and center of the heel. Think of these three points as little tripods. Keep the engagement of the soles of your feet, and start to firm up the legs from the bottom to the top. Hug the muscles, front, side and back of both your lower and upper legs, creating a strong foundation as you root yourself to the floor.

Once your legs are activated, simply lengthen your spine as you draw your belly in to support your low back as you reverse hinge up to standing. Once your shoulders are over your hips, continue to build and upper body portion of extended mountain by maintaining core activation as you reach your arms up and over head. Firm your triceps to straighten your arms as you reach your fingers skyward.

The Importance Of Cueing

It's very easy to simply shift from shape to shape when practicing yoga. Our minds wander and we can easily lose the mind body connection. Cues like "root to rise" act as a reminder to be active and engaged in our postures instead of just going through the motions. But it only works if you understand what it means.

Written by:

Charyl Dezotell

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