The feet

• let us come to the front of our mat and let us stand upright, with our feet together, big toes and heels touching,         if we can.  If we cannot keep the feet together because of knock-knees, deformations on the feet or lack of     balance, we can keep them hip-width apart.
• let us lift the toes, fanning them out like infinite rays of sunshine.  Let us broaden the balls of our feet away     from our heels and let us bring them back down softly on the mat.  Now let us lift the heels, stretching them out       from the centre of the arches and let us place them back down on the mat.  This broadens the contact area of      our feet on the mat. 
• let us strengthen the inner arches of the feet by lifting the inner ankle bones and by bringing down the outer       ankle bones.  Let us make sure that the four corners of each foot - base of the big toe, base of the little toe,      inner and outer heel are pressing uniformly on the floor and that our weight is evenly balanced on our two feet.
• Let us feel the pull of gravity on the soles of our feet.

The legs
Even as we shift our attention from our feet to our legs and subsequently to other parts of our body, it is important to stay aware of previous areas worked on, so that they do not become dull.  Especially at the beginning, we need to constantly keep checking that we have not lost the alignment of the pose and that the weight remains centered on our two feet.   By keeping our legs together as if they were one, we provide a strong foundation for the upward lift of the spine.

• let us move the centre of our shin bones back; let us spread the calf muscles (gastrocnemius) and let us move   them back and away from each other.
• knees face forward; back of knees is open but not pushed back.
• let us engage the quadriceps (upper front of the thigh muscles) and let us lift our kneecaps.
• let us spiral the upper thighs inward slightly to allow the sitting bones to widen and enable the tailbone to be     tucked under between them.

The pelvis
This marks an important crossroad in the body.  If the pelvis is out of alignment, the integrity of the spine is lost.  The pelvis is sometimes visualized as a bowl full of water.  By tilting the bowl too far forward or too far back, the water will be spilled. We have to find out by tipping the hips alternatively forward and back where that centered place is.  By contracting the thighs up, by lifting the kneecaps up, the tailbone extends down, the lumbar spine lengthens and the pubis moves up towards the navel.  This has for effect to tone the internal organs.  This pelvic tilt is not achieved by clenching the buttock muscles but by a gentle contraction of the root lock (mula bandha), by gripping the adductor muscles (upper inner thighs), and by firming slightly the lower belly muscles, drawing them in slightly whilst still pressing firmly through the feet.

The spine
With the tailbone tucked in, the spine naturally ascends effortlessly out of the pelvis.  Let us feel the lengthening of the waist as we raise both sides of the rib cage equally, front and back, away from the pelvis.  Let us feel the space between each vertebrae increase as the spine elongates and straightens.  Let us get a feeling of working against gravity using gravity to get more height, upward extension and greater stability.  Let us feel the energy of the tree in our spine.

The chest, shoulders and arms
With a straight and long spine, let us lift the sternum upward without pushing the floating ribs forward.   In Anusara yoga, we are invited to humble the chest and puff out the kidneys.  Let us expand the chest, broaden the collar bones and move the shoulder blades back and down, away from the ears.  The idea is to open the armpit/chest area with our shoulder blades going down and away from each other.
Let us turn our arms out, so that our palms face away from our body and let us feel the chest opening further.  Let us then turn our hands to face inward towards our body again whilst keeping that opening in the chest, allowing our arms to hang by our thighs.   Let us reach through our fingers towards the floor without any rigidity to lengthen our arms.
Now let us experience what happens when we give our heart space to grow and shine out.

The head
The head should be in alignment with the spine.  For this, it may help to visualize the spine as finishing at the top of the back of the head.  The back of the neck stays long and broad.  The top two cervical vertebrae (atlas and axis) must not protrude outwards but be in line with the others.  This means retracting the head back slightly for most of us.  The chin must be parallel to the floor (and not stick up), the facial muscles relaxed, the tongue soft and not pushing against the palate, the eyes soft and set back into their sockets.  The crown of the head should float upward from the base of the neck as if pulled heavenward by an imaginary silver cord.  Using gravity correctly will avoid putting undue strain on the neck muscles.  It is very important in every day living to remember to align the ears over the centre of the shoulders and the shoulders over the hips, especially for people working on computers, etc.
In Tadasana, we keep our gaze forward and steady and we open our peripheral vision.

In Tadasana, we breathe and we release.  "As our bodies release, they naturally lengthen, since a relaxed muscle is longer than a tight one.  As the neck and shoulders and upper body relax, the head releases upward like a tortoise coming out of its shell" - Esther Myers writing for Yoga Journal.

Let us stay in the pose for several breaths.  It is very important to feel the pose and get our cues from our own body rather than attempt to conform to received ideas.  It is crucial to avoid any unnecessary rigidity in our body and in our mind.  The ideal is to expand the minimal amount of energy by being fully receptive.  Using gravity from within and from without to align ourselves, and relaxing what we do not need to use now.  Thinking about where we should be now as opposed to be happy with where we are now, limits the flow of energy as much as a postural misalignment would.  This is not yoga.

"Settling into the posture brings repose.  It follows precise placement of the limbs, correct extension and balance.  There is peace an unity within.  The mind fills every particle of the body bringing harmony.  This is Yoga. ....- B.K.S. Iyengar