I think it may not come to any surprise that I do, indeed love Tree Pose. I love to practice it and it's pretty much a staple balancing posture in all my classes.
It's even in my logo... the signature pose! It photographs well, it's beginner-friendly, AND it's a super fun posture to practice with a partner or a group for balance support and connection.
See my favorites here, arms around shoulders and the classic high five:
Fear not, there are some deeper things I love about this posture. The first positive feeling I have toward Vrksasana is that it's empowering. I feel the energy of rooting down to rise up. This feels like GROWTH. This feels like expansion... like the permission to take up space.
In a world that tries to force us to be smaller, to take up less space, to be invisible or silent, this pose helps give us the confidence to stand tall.
When we choose to stand up against the weight of gravity by actively directing energy flow in the body--foot pressing down, arms reaching up--it can give us the confidence to stand up to other challenges or pressures in our lives.
The mental focus - any balance posture requires significant concentration. Well truly all yoga postures require significant concentration, but perhaps I better say your loss of concentration may become more exposed during a single leg balance.
"Where is the weight distributed in my foot?"
"Is my standing leg engaged?"
"Are my hips level?"
"Is my breath steady?"
There are many factors to finding the balance that eventually become natural as you improve in your practice. We can concentration MORE on the breath because our bodies have learnt the pattern. Hooray for coordination.
Check out the Vrksasana breakdown:
Happy practicing! Remember to take up some space!