Today’s Pose: Vrksasana ~ Tree Pose
From yesterday’s pose of tadasana, you can move right into this wonderful balancing pose of vrksasana or tree pose. I love to see the variations of this pose done in class. Some choose to practice with the wall for balance, others like to float arms up, while some take the balance challenge a bit further and close their eyes for a few moments.
Cues: Create a strong tadasana and keep that integrity in the standing leg as you lift the other leg. Take the weight off the standing leg hip and engage the muscles of the inner thigh. This keeps alignment strong and reduces the strain on the hip and back.
Be sure not to apply pressure to the knee joint with the raised leg. Let that foot come to the inside of the thigh or shin or even let the toes remain on the floor while the heel comes to the inside of the ankle. In the pose, maintain
shoulder blades down and chest open. Reach crown of the head skyward as you lengthen tailbone toward the floor. Contract the quadricep of the standing leg to draw hip flexor back into the body while you reach from the inner thigh to the inner knee of the lifted leg and then draw back from the outside of that knee to the hip.
Benefits: Balance is critical to maintain your strength and resilience. The benefits of strengthening the muscles and bones can be felt throughout the standing leg ankle, calf, thigh and spine. For the lifted leg, a great stretch occurs from the groin through the inner thigh. Balance poses stimulate your brain to keep you from falling. Simultaneously, you can find a calmness to the pose as you broaden your chest and let the breath come in more fully.
Modifications: Balance is not the same day in and day out, so apply the modifications that best suit you on any particular day. The back against a wall is helpful. A hand to the wall or chair back will assist in balance. If the foot slips off the standing leg, the use of a sticky mat remnant is helpful. Take your lifted foot to where it is best for you today — perhaps the inner ankle, the the inner shin or the thigh.