Start Your Week Rooted

by Cheng-Ling Chen — November 26, 2007

You had a great long weekend: Got your errands done, hung out with family and friends, and caught up on sleep. Now it's back to work, and you have the Monday morning blues. It's hard to concentrate. Distracted, you sip coffee, as your eyes blur over your To-Do List. That is, if you've gotten as far as making one. Need energy and focus to get the week started? Practice Vrikshaasana, better known as Tree Pose.

1. Start by standing tall with feet together and arms at the sides. Shift weight to the left leg. Raise right leg and hug knee to the chest. Take a few breaths here.
2. Gently bring the sole of the right foot as high up on the inside of the left thigh as possible. If you can't find your balance here, place the sole on the inside calf or lower thigh. Experiment with different heights; just take care not to place sole directly on the knee.
3. Balance on the left foot with arms at your sides. If this feels stable, slowly raise your hands to meet in prayer position in front of the heart.
4. Hold the pose for 10 deep breaths. Imagine yourself as a tree with a firm trunk. Building from the foundation up, grow taller through your spine and the crown of your head. If it helps, find a drishti or a single focus point. Use your breath, not your jaw or toes, to ground you and give you balance.
5. When ready, walk out of the pose. Take a few steps and notice the difference between the left and right side.
6. Repeat on the other side.

Tree Pose strengthens thighs, calves, ankles, and spine. It focuses the mind and improves balance. For more challenge, close your eyes while in Tree Pose and raise your hands above the head either in prayer position or arms open like branches. Balance comes and goes. Rather than fighting it, breathe into it.

By taking a few moments to quiet and center the mind, perhaps you will be ready to tackle the week.