Tree pose may seem a little basic, but it's excellent if you're looking to work on your balance. As McMullen says, "tree pose is really good for standing, you just need space for the knee to go out." To get started:
- Place the foot anywhere on the inner leg, except for on the knee itself.
- Use the strength of the standing leg to push back into the foot.
- Place your hands above your head or at heart center.
To help balance, McMullen says it's important to remember that "the foot is pushing into that leg, but that leg should be just as much pushing into that foot." If you're still having difficulty, McMullen suggests keeping the hips inward for maximum stability and concentrating on pushing the hands into each other at heart center to ground yourself in the pose.
