POTM: Darby Canessa Chooses: Vriksasana/Tree Pose
How to do the pose:
Begin standing in tadasana, palms touch at heart center, legs parallel, toes facing foward. Make sure there is an even distribution of weight on each foot, the pelvis is neutral, the ribs are knitting towards one another, the shoulders are pressing down, and the head is in line with the spine. Find a focus point. Begin shifting your weight onto your left foot. Rotate the right leg out, so that the right knee opens towards the side. Press the heel of the right foot against the left ankle and the ball of the right foot onto the earth. Breathe. Keep your hips level and squared to the front as you begin drawing the right foot up the lower leg. Energy is rooting down through your standing foot and rising through the crown of your head. Once you feel stable here, you can take a hold of the right ankle with the right hand and gently place the foot onto the left thigh. Avoid placing the foot on the left knee. All points in the tripod of the left foot are pressing into the earth. The right foot is actively pressing into the left thigh, and the left thigh is pressing into the right foot. Feel the hands press into one another, connected to the heart space. Inhale to find length, exhale to ground. If you feel stabilized here, begin to invite mobility into that state of stability by raising the arms up overhead, testing the balance. Feel your branches expand out and up, your heart open to the universe, and your roots connected to the earth. You can challenge yourself by drawing your attention inward, closing the eyes. Take a moment here. Let it all in. Let it all out. Carefully retrace your steps, bringing the hands back to the heart space, releasing the right foot from the left leg, and slowly lowering the right foot back to the earth landing back where you started in tadasana. Shake it out, and begin the journey on the other side.
What it means to me:
Oh how I love tree pose! It is important to remind ourselves of the beautiful connection we have with the planet, and what better way to do it than through asana? When I think of nature and Mother Earth, the first image that comes into my head is a tree. The very grounds we practice on were once trees, and with them they carry all this energy. I believe Vriksasana is the embodiment of this connection we have to the Earth. Various themes arising in nature become physicalized through this asana, such as the rooting to rise, the ability to balance in a changing environment, and the complete presence that emerges from the stillness of pure being. Trees have a remarkable presence, and their purpose is far greater than what we give them credit for. Take for instance the beauty of the tree that stands there alone in a vast field. It takes the lightning bolt so the crops are not destroyed. While it may appear simple, there are various actions happening within the body in this asana. Prana is circulating into, around, and out of the body. Energy enters the sole of the bottom foot from the earth, travels up the leg, through the other foot, through that leg, up the spine, down the arms to the hands, circulating in the heart space, and out the crown of the head. At the same time, energy enters the crown, travels down the spine, down the legs, and into the earth. There is a constant cycle of giving and receiving energy from the environment. It is fulfilling in every way.
