Tree Pose

Our bodies are an awesome expression of everything going on within, from our emotions to our health. As such, if we were to outline parts of our skeletal structure with a pen, we may just visually notice just how out of balance we really are. But don’t worry, just as life may have brought you out of balance, life has also provided us with tools to create balance.

We go through our daily lives juggling the affects of work, family, friends and many other situations that contribute to makeup of our day. At the end of the day or the end of the week we may feel drained of energy, stressed and that our life is a little out of control. Through the wonderful practice of yoga, one can use asanas to help restore good breathing techniques, balance and improve health.

One asana that may be beneficial in restoring balance back into our life’s is Vrksasana, also known as Tree Pose. Tree pose is a very grounding asana, which allows us to get rooted or connected back to our energy source. Just as a tree is rooted into the ground and stands steady and tall throughout normal conditions of rain, snow, sleet and sunshine, we too can experience that same connection through our life’s changing seasons.

Tree pose begins with you standing tall, hands by your side and feeling the ground beneath your feet strongly supporting you. Switching your weight from center of both supporting legs to one side (start with your right leg), you can begin to feel that affects of how life can pull us out of balance. But with our focus of our breath and concentration, we can lift the none supportive leg (your left leg), knee bent and the bottom foot parallel to the floor. Still breathing and with more concentration, turn your knee out and foot in to touch your supporting leg.

While in the beginning you may fall out of balance from this pose and think there is no way balancing on one leg can lead me to balance, rest assure and try and try again. Because our bodies have this fabulous way of compensating for areas in our body and mind that aren’t always working at their optimal best, we are actually use to being out of balance and don’t really know what it feels like to be in balance. But trust in the practice, not in the perfection at first.

The practice of Tree Pose provides us with the tools of concentration, confidence, stability, patience and strength. Getting in and staying in this pose utilizes great concentration of our minds. The ability to stay in this pose gives us confidence that we can overcome perceived challenges with practice and patience with ourselves and the circumstance. As we are now stable in our pose, we realize how strong we have become.

Trees create the life source to our existence, oxygen. And we create their life source, carbon dioxide. Our close relationship to trees with our need for their oxygen and their need for our carbon, breathing in Vrksasana allows us to stay present and have the same regenerative nature they posses. Being present allows us to consciously create balance in our day. Liv your truth!