How to perform Tree Pose
Straighten your right leg and get rooted through your foot as you bend your left knee out to the side. Lift your arms up and draw your spine upward as you balance. Change sides.
What is Vrksasana?
Vrksa means tree. This asymmetrical standing pose builds poise and balance as the practitioner learns to stand on one leg, drawing the spine upward. The shoulder muscles are also toned by this pose, as the arms extend upward.
When to use Vrksasana?
Like Tadasana, this pose firms and stabilises the leg muscles, but it further challenges the practitioner to find stability and evenness by balancing on one leg, rather than two. Because the raised leg is turned out, this pose begins to work on the hips and can be used in a sequence that leads toward deeper hip openings. In the classic posture, the palms are pressed together, and the elbows remain straight (Urdhva Namaskarasana). If you’re struggling to keep your elbows straight, it is better to practice initially with the palms shoulder-distance apart in Urdhva Hastasana, to bring more opening and suppleness to the shoulder region.
