Vrksasana (Tree Pose)

Vrksasana means "tree pose" in Sanskrit. This pose is a standing and balancing pose in which you extend upward like a tree. It is a great pose for building strength in the legs and finding a sense of balance and poise and a steadiness of the mind.

Stand in Tadasana. Shift your weight to the left leg and bend your right knee. Hold your right ankle, and extend the knee out to the right side. Place the sole of the foot on the inside of the left thigh, toes pointing down. Keep the left leg straight, as in Tadasana, pressing evenly through the standing leg foot. Keep your pelvis level. Lift the chest and bring your palms together in front of the chest. Then raise the palms up overhead until the arms are straight. If you can, keep the palms together, but if it is difficult to keep straight arms, then separate the hands shoulder-width apart. Draw the shoulders away from the neck. Now, press down through the standing leg foot and extend the body up through the crown of the head, up through the fingertips. Let go of any tension in the head or neck. Keep the gaze soft. Hold the pose 30-60 seconds. To come out, exhale, lower the right foot to the floor and take the arms down. Repeat on the other side.

In the beginning, balancing on one leg may be difficult. There are several options.

• Try doing the pose at first without taking the arms overhead. Just keep the palms together in front of the chest.
• Or extend the arms out to the sides, parallel to the floor, palms down. Sometimes this is enough to find steadiness in the pose.
• You can do the pose with your back to a wall, the back slightly touching the wall.
• Or stand with the left thigh parallel to a wall, about a foot away from the wall. Place the fingertips of the left hand on the wall, with the elbow bent. Place the right foot on the left thigh, then slowly take the right arm straight up overhead. Now you can slowly move the left hand up the wall until it's parallel to the right arm, and then move it away from the wall as you feel balanced. When you're ready to come out, take the left arm back to the wall, and release the right leg to the floor.

Practice this pose regularly to build strength in your legs and to achieve balance and poise.