Pose Meaning

The asana is pronounced as VRIK-shAH-sana
The Tree Pose, known as Vrksasana in Sanskrit, is a basic yoga pose used to promote balance and centering. The Sanskrit name comes from the words vrksa meaning tree, and asana meaning pose.

This posture replicates the graceful, steady stance of a tree. Unlike most yoga poses, the Tree Pose requires keeping our eyes open in order to maintain body balance.

 

Vrksasana (vrik-SHAHS-ah-nah) is a deceptively challenging pose. While at first glance tree pose may seem easy, the combination of strength, balance, and flexibility required can take lots of practice. Never fear, props like a wall or a chair can come in handy while finding the balance point of the pose, and there are plenty of variations to fit everyone’s practice. This is a great pose to practice dristi (focused gaze) to help with balance.

Origin

The name comes from the Sanskrit words vṛkṣa (वृक्ष) meaning “tree”, and āsana (आसन) meaning “posture”.

Detail of rock relief “Descent of the Ganges” at Mahabalipuram appears to show a person in Vrikshasana at top left in 7th century.

A 7th-century stone carving in Mahabalipuram ( a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu) appears to contain a figure standing on one leg, perhaps indicating that a pose similar to vrikshasana was in use at that time. It is said that sadhus disciplined themselves by choosing to meditate in the pose.

The pose is described in the 17th century Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā (a Sanskrit text of Yoga in Hinduism).

Steps

STEP 1:   Stand with your feet together, inner ankles and inner knees touching. Find a straight line of energy through the center of the body, from the inner arches up through the crown of the head. Bring the hands together at the center of the chest in Anjali Mudra. Exhale, root down through your feet, and feel steadiness, firmness, and grounding in Tadasana, or Mountain Pose.

STEP 2:   Shift your weight onto your right foot. Bend your left knee, and move it toward the chest. Keeping a long spine, reach down and clasp your left ankle. Place the sole of the left foot on the inner right thigh.

STEP 3:   Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor to stand tall and bring your drishti, or gaze, to the wall directly in front of you to help you balance.

STEP 4:   Press your left foot into the inner right thigh and your right thigh into your foot in an effort to maintain your midline.

STEP 5:   Square both hips to the front of the room, keeping your left knee moving out to the left.

STEP 6:   Firm your outer right thigh by contracting the quadriceps muscles, or the front of the thighs. Zip your belly in and your lower ribs together. Lift the chest and bring the shoulder blades down.

STEP 7:   Take 5–10 deep breaths, finding length on each inhale and rooting down with each exhale.

STEP 8:   Exhale and release the left leg back to Tadasana. Repeat on the other side.

Benefits

• This pose leaves you in a state of rejuvenation. It stretches the legs, back and arms, and invigorates you.
• It brings balance and equilibrium to your mind.
• It helps improve concentration.
• This posture has been found to relieve some cases of sciatica.
• It makes the legs strong, improves balance, and opens the hips.
• Helps those who are suffering from sciatica.

Tips

• DON’T turn out the foot on the standing, supporting leg. This will misalign the supporting knee and hip
• DON’T place your foot on the opposite knee. Keep it above or below the knee, on the inner thigh or side of the shin, to protect the knee of the standing leg.
• If you have balance problems, use caution with this pose and do it near a wall where you can support yourself as needed.

Contraindications

• Avoid doing this posture if you are suffering from migraine, insomnia, low or high blood pressure (those with high blood pressure may do this pose but without raising their hands overhead, as this may further raise their blood pressure)

Meditation can help us embrace our worries, our fear, our anger; and that is very healing. We let our own natural capacity of healing do the work.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh