Yoga Pose of the Month: Tree 

Tree pose, or Vriksasana, is in honor of our staff member Mae; who loves this pose because she feels grounded but also free. Mae also loves that she can hold this pose for a long time allowing her to get into a meditative state.   Many people use tree pose to help improve balance, but it is also a great pose for focus and concentration. Tree is also a wonderful pose because any level of yogi can enjoy this pose.

To enter this pose you must ground your standing foot, spread out your toes and feel your foot fully planted on the ground. Engage your core and encourage yourself to stand tall with the crown of your head up towards the sky. You will also want to encourage your “heart” up as well by trying to pinch your shoulder blades together. Placing your hands together near your heart is the last step other than deciding where your foot of your bent leg will be placed.

Any person unsure of their balance can begin tree pose using a chair as a prop to stabilize themselves. You would then rest your foot on your standing leg’s inside lower calf.

The next step in advancing your practice of tree pose would be removing the chair and placing your foot down on your standing leg by the ankle with your toes touching the ground, like a kick stand. This pose is wonderful if you are feeling a little unbalanced.

When you are feeling confident the next progression would be to place your foot against your standing leg just below your knee, on your calf.

The final stage and full posture would be to place your foot against your standing leg thigh near your groin. For an extra level of difficulty try practicing tree on a block or try closing your eyes in any of the poses!