vrksa = tree
asana = pose
v-reek-sah-ah-sah-nah
Benefits
- Tones leg muscles
- Engages core muscles
- Enhances balancing abilities
- Aids in the alignment of the spine
- Lessens stress by improving focus and alertness
Contraindications
- Vertigo
- Arthritis
- Ankle pain or sensitivity
How To
- Come to stand with your feet a couple of inches apart.
- Begin with your hands at heart center.
- Steady your gaze by finding your drishti, a still point to hold you steady as you find your balance. This point should be a bit in front of you, perhaps on the studio floor.
- Begin to shift your weight to one foot and lift the other from the mat or floor.
- Option to use your hands to place your foot somewhere along your inner leg line, avoiding the areas directly surrounding your knee.
- Place your foot inside of your calf or inner thigh.
- Keep your hands at heart center, or grow your branches by extending your palms up overhead.
- Direct your bent knee behind you to open your hips.
- Maintain a slight bend in your standing leg.
- Exhale to find your way out, drawing your hands and your knee back through to center before returning to a neutral standing pose
Modify or Replace
- Kickstand your foot outside of your ankle, with your toes resting on the mat or floor, instead of resting your foot on your leg.
Sequencing Tips
Before:
- Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
- Standing Pose (Samasthiti)
After:
Teaching Cues
- Keep your weight in the center of your foot
- Notice if your toes are squished or looking a bit white. If this is the case, shift your weight back toward your heel and then slightly forward until you find a centered space to balance from.
- If you extend your arms up overhead, your chest might reach out forward. Engage your core to protect your low back and maintain spinal length
Variations
- Kickstand with your toes on the mat rather than on your leg
- Standing Lotus with your foot resting atop your front thigh and knee bent, pointing down towards the floor
Watch Out For
- Tipping weight forward
- Flaring of ribs
- Lack of core engagement
- Arching of low back