Just as Tadasana is the foundation for standing poses, Dandasana is the foundation for seated poses. Sit on a firm surface with your legs extended straight out in front of you. Stretch from your inner groins, down your legs, to your inner heels. Press your toe mounds, metatarsals, away from you. Open the back of your knees by pressing the back of your thighs toward the floor. Sit to the front of your sitting bones. Place your hands on the floor beside your hips and traction them toward the wall behind you.

Feel your spine at the back of your waist with a hand. If vertebrae are poking out, elevate your hips by sitting on a cushion or a folded blanket. Also lean slightly back, keeping your spine straight, until your spine is not poking out.

As you hold Dandasana, feel your legs and sitting bones grounding into the floor. From your sacrum, feel your spine lengthening and extending upward. Soften your throat and neck, and feel your head softly lifting off the top of your spine. Breathe comfortably and smoothly through your nose. Keep your eyes, jaw, and hearing relaxed.