YOGA HOW TO: TREE POSE

 

For as long as I can remember, Tree Pose has been one of my favorite go-to yoga poses.  It’s that pose that people do when they say “I can do yoga!”  They instantly put their arms up high like a tree and balance on one leg.  Makes me laugh when I think about it because I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people do this.  And I love it because it is one of the prettiest yoga poses that exist! :)

Tree Pose is a great pose for balance, calm and to find centering.  Tree Pose strengthens and tones the leg muscles, ankles and feet as well as the groin, inner thigh.  

As someone who tends to have flatter feet (thanks Grandma!), this pose also helps to remedy my flat feet and is also known to be therapeutic for Sciatica.  I have a ton of private yoga clients who have Sciatica so I’m all about this one for them.

EASY STEPS ON HOW TO DO TREE POSE:

STEP 1:

Stand with feet hip distance apart.  Root your left foot down as if they were the roots of a tree.

STEP 2: 

Bend your right knee towards your chest (use your hand to bring your foot up if you need to) and open up the knee to the right like you’re opening up a gate.  Place the inside of your right foot near your inner left thigh (be sure not to place it on the knee!).

STEP 3:

Place your hands into Anjali Mudra (Hands to heart) and breath.  Navel in towards your skin.  Crown of the head reaching up towards the sky, finding length in the spine.  

STEP 4:

If you want to move on to full Tree Pose.  Extend your arms into a “V” shape over head, extending your branches and feeling strong, centered and calm.  

Starting your day with TREE POSE is a great way to find that calm first thing.  I like to also set an INTENTION in Tree Pose.  This can be a phrase, a word, a feeling, a color… anything that you want to set as your theme for your day.  Just make sure it’s positive!

For more poses and yoga insight, follow me on Instagram here @daniellecuccio and shop our yoga products here!

Namasté,

Danielle