How to Assume the Tree Pose in Yoga

Series Summary

Yoga poses are increasingly popular as a form of exercise and meditation. The focus of yoga is a holistic one, employing a broad range of practices which focus on a new way of living, thinking and being in the world. Aimed to unite the mind, the body and the spirit, the health benefits of yoga are also great and varied. From relieving stress to strengthening and toning muscle, integrating yoga positions and exercises into your daily routine can be beneficial on many levels. In this free video series on yoga poses and meditation, an experienced yoga instructor explains the benefits of various yoga poses. She discusses the tree pose, hero pose, cobra pose and locust pose and the benefits they can provide. She presents meditation as a way to wind down from a stressful day at the office or the day's activities. Learn about active meditation and transcendental meditation as alternatives to regular meditation.

Video Transcript

"Yoga poses were derive by the ancient yogis trying to become one with nature and imitate the works of art that are in nature. Namaste. My name's Cindy Mastry and Tree pose is one of those works of art. To come into Tree pose, you first want to have a strong grounding through your feet. So I'm going to ground down through my left foot and transfer my weight over to the left foot. Spreading my toes wide and then rooting them down just like the other roots of your tree. Lengthening up through the leg, making sure not to hyper-extend the knee, engaging through the thigh, that's my trunk, that's my strong foundation, just like the giant red boots. We're going to pivot on the ball of the right foot and this a perfect tree right here, you could stay here, grounded with your toe to the ground and heel to the ankle, opening the tree out to the side. So there is opens through your hip, it's actually a hip opener pose as well as a balance. If you like to, you can move your foot to your calf, or maybe even up to your thigh, pressing your thigh into your foot, foot into your thigh. Still growing out of your foundation, lifting up out of your waist, rolling the shoulders down and back and lifting through your heart. And when in if you're ready, reaching your arms up to the sky, growing your branches. And it's okay if it's a little windy out there, it's alright, that's when you root down and ground through your foot. Whenever you're ready, bringing the hands down back to heart center, bringing the knee in and then finding your grounding. Namaste."