How tree pose unlocks emotional barriers

December 4, 5:15 PMTampa Yoga ExaminerDanielle Hope Hier

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Everyone has an asana (yoga pose) that they particularly like or particularly hate.  With the exception of possibly Downward Facing Dog, Tree Pose is probably the one I hear the most complaints about.  Sure, trying to balance on one foot when you're 5-years-old is fun (so is the falling down if properly cushioned); but not so much for most grown-ups.

What many people don't realize, is that Tree Pose has a greater purpose than simply conditioning the muscles of the legs and strengthening ankles.  It offers more than just a greater sense of balance and abdominal conditioning...

When I moved to Florida in 2005, it was among the worst hurricane seasons in Florida's history, so much so that I seriously reconsidered staying.  It was the day before one of five major hurricane's was set to hit the Gulf Coast, and for some reason, not only did I think it a good idea to have class; but so did all of its members, as everyone arrived, somber, because no one knew if we were getting hit or not.

At the end of a restorative yoga class, I asked that everyone find a spot in the room where they could do a pose without seeing anyone else in the class.  I asked them to pick a single pose that they would like to work on that evening, and I would come around the room making adjustments.

Wouldn't you know it, but every single person in the class got into some variation of Tree Pose.

Why?

Tree Pose has an uncanny way of unlocking emotions, particularly related to feelings of strength and security.  The very nature of the pose requires core abdominal strength and "rooting" one foot into the earth, while the other foot is tucked at the groin, activating the appropriately named "root chakra". 

I have seen a women stand with eyes fixed ahead of her in a steady Tree Pose, while a tear of sorrow ran down her cheek, and later recognizing an unresolved personal issue.  Another women complained for months that she'd never find balance in tree pose, and yet the more she found stability in her everyday emotional life, the easier the pose became.  The wandering mind wants to be distracted so it doesn't have to deal with nasty little things like emotions, and it is difficult to maintain a balancing pose without completely focusing on the pose itself, which - in turn - quiets the mind, and allows for emotions to be processed, and healing to occur.