Tree pose or Vrikshasana ( sa, वृक्षासन, translit=vṛkṣāsana) is a balancing

asana An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga ...

. It is one of the very few standing poses in medieval

hatha yoga Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭha ...

, and remains popular in modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...

. The pose has been called iconic of modern yoga; it is often featured in yoga magazines, and practised in public displays such as for the International Day of Yoga.

Etymology and origins

The name comes from the Sanskrit words () meaning 'tree', and () meaning 'posture'. A 7th-century stone carving in

Mahabalipuram Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram. It ...

appears to contain a figure standing on one leg, perhaps indicating that a pose similar to vrikshasana was in use at that time. It is said that

sadhu ''Sadhu'' ( sa, साधु, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female)), also spelled ''saddhu'', is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. ...

s disciplined themselves by choosing to meditate in the pose. The pose is described in the 17th century ''

Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā ''Gheranda Samhita'' (IAST: gheraṇḍasaṁhitā, घेरंडसंहिता, meaning “Gheranda's collection”) is a Sanskrit text of Yoga in Hinduism. It is one of the three classic texts of hatha yoga (the other two being the ''H ...

'' 2.36. More recently it has been called iconic of modern yoga; it is often featured in yoga magazines, and practised in public displays such as for the International Day of Yoga. File:Ganga Mahabalipuram2.jpg,

Rock relief A rock relief or rock-cut relief is a relief sculpture carved on solid or "living rock" such as a cliff, rather than a detached piece of stone. They are a category of rock art, and sometimes found as part of, or in conjunction with, ...

seems to show Vrikshasana at top left.

Description

The pose is entered from Tadasana. The most common form has one knee bent and the foot of that leg placed on the inner thigh of the standing leg; alternatively, the bent leg may be placed in half lotus position. The hands are held above the head, either pointed directly upwards and unclasped, or clasped together in

anjali mudra '' (Devanagari: अञ्जली; अंजली) is a Sanskrit word that means " divine offering". It is not only a given name, but also the name given to the greeting between Hindus, Buddhists and other religions on the Indian subcontinent: ha ...

. File:The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju performing Yoga, on the occasion of the 3rd International Day of Yoga – 2017, in Gangtok, Sikkim on June 21, 2017 (2).jpg, The Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs,

Kiren Rijiju Kiren Rijiju (born 19 November 1971) is an Indian politician from Arunachal Pradesh who serves as the Cabinet Minister of Law and Justice in the Government of India. Early life Rijiju was born on 19 November 1971 at Nakhu near Nafra in West K ...

, in a public yoga session on the 3rd International Day of Yoga in

Gangtok Gangtok is a city, municipality, the capital and the largest populated place of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is also the headquarters of the Gangtok District. Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayan range, at an elevation of . The city's populat ...

, Sikkim, 21 June 2017 File:USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) 140720-N-CS564-302 (14711440211).jpg, A US Navy yoga display on the flight deck of USS ''George H.W. Bush'', using Vrikshasana and Natarajasana, 2014

Variations

Bikram Yoga Bikram Yoga is a system of hot yoga, a type of yoga as exercise, devised by Bikram Choudhury and based on the teachings of B. C. Ghosh, that became popular in the early 1970s. Classes consist of a fixed sequence of 26 postures, practised in a ro ...

, Tree pose (which it calls "Tadasana") has one leg folded in half lotus and the hands together over the chest in prayer position. It is followed by bending the straight leg into a squatting position (called Toe Stand or "Padangushtasana" in Bikram Yoga) with the heel raised and the thigh resting on the calf and heel, the other leg remaining in half lotus. The pose may be modified according to the practitioner's ability to balance. The hands may be held apart, either straight up or out at an angle, or lowered into prayer position in front of the chest. Or, one heel can be raised and placed against the shin of the standing leg, if necessary keeping the toes on the ground. Another option is to stand beside a wall and place one hand on it. Alternatively, the pose can be practised reclining on the floor, if need be with a block under the bent knee. File:Vrksasana.jpg, A group practising outdoors File:Breath yoga with Shaymaa.jpg, Variant with one leg in half lotus File:Padangushtasana, Heinz Grill 1992 (cropped).jpg,

Heinz Grill Heinz Grill is a German mountaineer, author, and yoga teacher. He has opened many new climbing routes in the Alps and Dolomites. In 1977 he won the Golden Carabiner award from the German Alpine Club. In 2012 he shared the Silla Ghedina prize for ...

in Padangushtasana,
Toe Stand

Applications

Tree pose has been recommended for older people to help them maintain good balance and so to reduce the risk of injury from falls. There is preliminary evidence that a yoga programme including tree pose may help to prevent falls among older people.

References

Sources