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Ask the expert |
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Yoga for spring: tree
pose |
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By Alison
Finney | | |
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Is there a yoga pose that will help me feel
more balanced?
The yoga pose known as the
tree is perfect for spring because it represents growth,
balance and rootedness. In this pose you can imagine your feet
being like the roots of a tree and your arms like the
branches. Here are the instructions for this balancing
pose.
1. Stand with your feet shoulder width
apart, with your weight evenly on both feet.
2.
Inhale as you shift your weight onto your left leg. Exhale and
bend your right knee up, rotating it out to the side as you
place the sole of your right foot flat against the inside of
your left leg with the toes pointing down. To get the foot
higher, hold your ankle with your right hand and move your
foot up. Press the heel in against the leg. Make sure not to
put pressure on the left knee.
3. Keeping your
left leg straight, maintain your balance by focusing on a
stationary object, the wall or the floor.
4.
Bring hands together in a prayer position in the centre of
your chest. Breathe deeply.
5. Once your balance
is steady and you have your point of focus, inhale as you move
your arms above your head, keeping palms together. Bring the
arms close to the sides of your head as you try to straighten
your elbows while keeping shoulders down. Don't worry if you
sway a little -- trees sway.
6. After holding
the pose for a few breaths, exhale as you lower your arms and
foot.
7. Repeat the pose on the other
side.
Tree pose strengthens the thighs, calves, ankles
and spine. It stretches the chest, shoulders and groin and
inner thigh muscles and improves our sense of
balance.
New
to yoga? Click here to read our guide to getting
started.
Alison Finney is a certified hatha and kundalini
yoga teacher in Ottawa. She is registered with the Yoga
Alliance and the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers
Association and is the founder of PranaShanti, a health and
yoga resource. For more information, visit www.pranashanti.com.
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