Tree pose is easy to do and has many benefits.

They  include:

• Strengthens thighs, calves, ankles, and spine
• Stretches the groins and inner thighs, chest and shoulders
• Improves sense of balance
• Relieves sciatica and reduces flat feet

Use caution if you suffer from insomnia or low blood pressure.  If you have high blood pressure, do not raise your arms above your head.

Stand with the feet together and the arms by your sides.  Bend the right leg at the knee, raise the right thigh and bring the sole of the right foot as high up the inside of the left thigh as possible. 

Balancing on the left foot, raise both arms over the head, keep the elbows unbent and join the palms together. Hold the posture while breathing gently through the nostrils for about 10 complete breaths. 

Lower the arms and right leg and return to the tad-asana, standing position with feet together and arms at the sides. Pause for a few moments and repeat on the opposite leg.  Do this two or three times per leg or as long as is comfortable.

The challenge of the vriksha-asana is maintaining balance on one leg. Poor balance is often the result of a restless mind or distracted attention. Regular practice of this posture will help focus the mind and cultivate concentration (dharana).

When practicing vriksha-asana it may help to imagine or picture a tree in the mind and apply the following technique: Imagine that the foot you are balanced on is the root of the tree and the leg is the trunk.

Continue by imagining the head and outstretched arms as the branches and leaves of the tree. You may be unsteady for a while and find the body swaying back and forth, but don’t break the concentration. Like a tree bending in the wind and yet remaining upright, the body can maintain balance.

Aim to achieve the “rootedness” and firmness of a tree. Regular practice of the vriksha-asana improves concentration, balance and coordination. Because the weight of the entire body is balanced on one foot, the muscles of that leg are strengthened and toned as well.

As you advance in this posture and are able to remain standing for more than a few moments, try closing the eyes and maintaining your balance.

[tags]yoga, asana, tree pose[/tags]

One of yoga’s many gifts is that it helps you to stay in the present moment. Few people can “be present” for themselves and others consistently.

Most of us don’t realize that we spend 99 per cent of our time – even our most intimate moments with others – worrying about the future and agonizing over the past, rather than being present for our lives.

In Yoga and human kindness give singer/songwriter Sherry Ryan many ‘Wonderful Cures’ Sherry Ryan says: “‘I think I worry and I live in the past and future, but maybe not as much as other people,’ she considers, noting that the practice of yoga is about letting go of the ability to think or dwell on the past or future. ‘There’s obviously a varying degree there, but maybe I’m a little better at being in the moment than I thought. There’s a good quote on the bathroom wall at The Ship — it’s a Ron Hynes quote, apparently, but I don’t know that for sure — it goes something like, ‘We barely savour the moment but we spend a lifetime dwelling on it,’ meaning you’re not in the moment but after it’s gone you worry about it and worry about it … you’re not really getting the full deal if you’re not in it 100 per cent.’”

As you continue to be practice yoga, you’ll find that you’ll catch yourself throughout the day when you’re worrying: you realize that you’re missing what’s real in your life, and the only life you have, in fantasy and regret.

Yoga has the potential to enhance you life in many ways, and the power of presence – where your whole life becomes a meditation – is a wonderful gift, so just keep practicing yoga.

[tags]yoga, present, presence, meditation[/tags]

Sun Salutations give you a complete workout.

Stand facing the direction of the sun with both feet touching. Bring the hands together, palm-to-palm, at the heart. Inhale and raise the arms upward. Slowly bend backward, stretching arms above the head. Exhale slowly bending forward, touching the earth with respect until the hands are in line with the feet, head touching knees.

Inhale and move the right leg back away from the body in a wide backward step. Keep the hands and feet firmly on the ground, with the left foot between the hands. Raise the head. While exhaling, bring the left foot together with the right.

Keep arms straight, raise the hips and align the head with the arms, forming an upward arch. Exhale and lower the body to the floor until the feet, knees, hands, chest, and forehead are touching the ground. Inhale and slowly raise the head and bend backward as much as possible, bending the spine to the maximum

While exhaling, bring the left foot together with the right. Keep arms straight, raise the hips and align the head with the arms, forming an upward arch. Inhale and move the right leg back away from the body in a wide backward step.

Keep the hands and feet firmly on the ground, with the left foot between the hands. Raise the head. Exhale slowly bending forward, touching the earth with respect until the hands are in line with the feet, head touching knees.

Inhale and raise the arms upward. Slowly bend backward, stretching arms above the head. Stand facing the direction of the sun with both feet touching. Bring the hands together, palm-to-palm, at the heart.

[tags]asana, Sun Salutations, workout[/tags]