Tree is the Pose of the Month for March. It’s Sanskrit name is Vrksasana.
When I started yoga and the teacher said ”tree,” I would slightly panic. My mind would whisper loudly in my ear, “You, my friend, are NOT very good at balancing on one leg.” As soon as I grasped to find that elusive balance… timber!
Quickly try again… timber times 2. Heart rate up, heat up, mind up!
The problem was not my balance. I was putting no roots down to anchor all that swirling upness!! I had to come down to go up.
Many, many moons and trees later, I enjoy tree pose and use it as a reminder of the wobbly, balancing dance between effort and surrender. Each opportunity to practice tree in my yoga practice is slightly different.
Can we be steady and grounded without over efforting? The trick is to practice rooting through the foot and leg. Foundation is everything. With patience and practice we may find an elegant stack of bones supported by muscles that allows for the rooting action so that we can aspire.
Can we reach upward toward the greatest version of ourselves yet stay grounded? We learn to establish our foundation first. Center. Breath slowly. Then soar into our potential.
And…if it’s just one of those days where the balance energy is hiding and you can’t find it, relax into it and have a party with it! Become a Dancing Tree!! For, after all, learning to balance comes from learning to fall. And of course, breathe. Try. Try again.
I hope you will join us and take a picture of you doing your tree pose. Tag us on Instagram and/or Facebook. We want to see yours! We want to see all different types of trees!
Yours,
RuthAnn
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