- Are you feeling ungrounded?
- Do cold, cloudy and windy days leave you feeling unsettled?
- Are you experiencing overwhelm, anxiety and struggles with sleep?
Yoga can help with Balance and Emotional Immunity!
Modern day yoga has embraced the belief that yoga poses should be done one after another in a class lead by a teacher……
But, that is not the traditional way of Yoga!
And when we apply Yoga Asana (poses) therapeutically, rather than as a group experience of community and exercise, we find the individual benefits of each pose to restore physical, mental and emotional balance can increase dramatically.
And it doesn’t need to take a lot of time or any financial investment.
The Tree Pose Strengthens Your Balance
The tree pose asks you to ground and settle into a relationship with the Earth and your breath. And when practiced for just a few minutes once or twice a day, it will increase stability, in all aspects of body, mind and heart.
Give it a try…
Do the Tree Pose and Notice What Happens
Sure, right now will do.
Just get up and try it.
Feel free to hold onto a chair, or the wall. Support is good.
It looks just like this ↓ (river is optional!)
Feel free to put your foot at your ankle instead of your knee.
Did you struggle?
You may have noticed you shifted left and right, tried to stay in balance, strained to stay in place.
How did you feel?
- Proud that you got it just right?
- Frustrated that you didn’t?
- Maybe disappointed that you didn’t try it at all….. it’s not too late 😉
The Benefits of Gentle Yoga
Now that you’ve tried it, let me ask you a few questions?
Was your attention on the doing of the pose or the expectation of an outcome?
When we try to do something, we usually contract our muscles, hold our breath and shift our mental attention from the wonder of the moment to a hopeful, uncertain future result.
That will not bring balance.
The Yogic Difference Between Being and Trying
- It’s a subtle difference, but powerful!
- Practice with a child-like attitude of innocence.
- Explore relaxing your face, smile :).
- Begin to feel your roots growing into the Earth, feel the wind blowing in your leaves. Feel your tree-trunk legs strong and stable on the ever-present foundation of Mother Earth.
- Enjoy the moment! That will begin to restore balance.
Yoga is a journey, not a destination!
And it has certainly been proven that your personal life-journey can be greatly enhanced by bringing the practice of gentle yoga into your daily-life in small and simple ways.
How Can the Tree Pose Benefit You?
Do you wake up tired, unmotivated or depressed?
Upon waking, take a moment to find your tree and feel the wind spinning through your branches. Shake your leaves and shake off the inertia of sleep. This only requires a minute or two and will help to shift your physical and mental heaviness.
Do you find yourself getting frustrated, impatient or overwhelmed in your work?
When it’s possible, remove yourself from the situation! Go to the bathroom or close your office door and take one minute to re-establish your strong and stable tree-like qualities. Imagine it, what type of tree would you be? Take a few deep breaths. Is that better?
Are you struggling with sleep, experiencing insomnia?
An hour before bed begin to unplug. And take a minute for YOURSELF to re-establish your roots. Draw all your energy deep within the strength and stability of your trunk. Be There, Breathe There….
Anytime throughout the day, a simple one minute tree pose can be a powerful practice of meditation.
It’s Tree Pose Week!
Try for yourself! At least once a day for the next week, take one minute to explore the powers of tree-ness and see for yourself what benefits you experience.
“Yoga, (in all of it’s forms) is a practice of moment by moment awareness.”
– Dr. David Frawley
Yoga (as life) is not another thing to try and master.
There is nothing to get right.
The tree is at peace, just as it is.
Growing Roots through Community Support
As you continue to on your personal yoga-journey, find some inspiration through personalized Wellness Coaching to help your roots grow deep and your branches blossom.
Yogesh Van Acker shares his strong, calm and steady presence of Yoga in London Ontario through his weekly schedule of Ayurvedic Yoga and Meditation classes, Ayurvedic Treatments and Thai Yoga Massage.
