October Pose of the Month: Tree Pose

October in Michigan is pretty damn hard to beat.

The air gets cooler, the leaves start changing, and for a few glorious weeks, everywhere you look the trees are putting on a show.

So it seems like the perfect month for Tree Pose.

There's something pretty powerful about trying to embody the qualities of a tree.

Root down. Grow tall. And don't expect to be perfectly still.

In Tree Pose, we start from the ground.

We spread our toes, feel the connection of our foot to the earth and create a strong foundation through the standing leg.

From there, we grow upward. Lengthening through the spine and reaching through the crown of the head or the arms, depending on your version of Tree.

And then comes the wobble.

If you've taken class with me, you've probably heard me say it:

Balance is fun.

And I mean it.

Balance isn't about proving you can stand perfectly still on one leg. The wobbling is part of the work.

Trees move too.

They sway with the wind. Their branches move. They bend and adjust to what's happening around them while staying rooted underneath it all.

Our bodies do the same thing.

Your feet, ankles, legs and core are constantly making tiny adjustments to keep you upright. Being balanced doesn't mean being perfectly still. It means being able to respond when something shifts.

So this month when you're in Tree and you start swaying, don't immediately decide you're "bad at balance."

Root down.

Grow tall.

Let your Tree move a little.

And if you fall out?

Plant the foot and grow again.

Because balance is fun. Even when it's messy.

You'll see Tree Pose popping up throughout classes this October, and we'll be playing with different ways to grow our Trees all month long.