The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Tadasana › My foot slips when I bring my second hand into prayer position.
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Tadasana › My foot slips when I bring my second hand into prayer position.
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How do you keep your foot up at your costume during tree pose? Mine continuously slips out and I can’t figure out what to tighten to keep it in place to bring both hands into prayer.
Posted by Emily on 01/21 at 01:55 PMHello Emily
Thanks for your question.
Tree pose is a lovely tall pose that helps lengthen the spine, opens the hips, lengthen the leg adductors. It does this by the position of the leg. But the arm that holds up that leg also plays a pivotal role.
When you hold your foot from behind you lift it up. In doing so your elbow should be bending backwards (and not out to the side). Your shoulder moves down and back away from the ear. If you are doing all this right then your biceps muscles are being utilized. Your lifted knee can move back against the pull of the hand and create a beautiful opening across the pelvis and through the leg.
When you let go of the foot and bring your hand up into 2 handed prayer position then you lose this traction. Although your eventual aim is to have both hands in prayer, if your foot doesn’t stay up by itself then you may be letting go of your foot too early.
In my studio we teach that you only let go of the second hand if, and only if the heel of your foot is directly under your belly-button at the body’s midline.
So in answer to your question, I really recommend enjoying creating the traction by continuing your Tree pose with only one hand in prayer position.
3 things to take note of:
1) make sure you tuck the tailbone under to lengthen your lower spine (don’t arch your spine – students often do this to try to keep their foot up)
2) don’t allow your heel to go any further than your thigh bone (or femur)
3)keep holding your foot up with your hand if your heel is not at the midline (use the leverage to create the best opening that you can)Let me know if this doesn’t answer your question!
Gabrielle 🙂when i do tree pose i push the raised foot into inner thigh to keep it there and from slipping off, once you do it hopefully you will find it easier to do.
Posted by hennafire on 01/21 at 03:19 PM
Here is a reply from a woman who gives a helpful hint to you. I would like to point out that it appears that this may not be the classic Bikram Tree pose, where the foot lies high up on the leg in front of the hip.
If I understand the response above, the sole of the foot is placed up on the inner thigh near the crotch. This hint would appear to belong to a different pose.That of course doesn’t stop us discussing the hint: :cheese:
Some people find in the Hot Yoga Tree pose that the knee twisting element is too severe so they may actually modify the pose to the one referred to above.If this becomes necessary for you, then I would like to raise a caution: please don’t ever place your foot at the knee joint. Place it above or below it to minimize joint trauma.
Thank you hennafire.
Gabrielle 🙂
Posted by johnny88
Hi Gabrielle,
To make sure I understand, would you please clairfy about placing the heel below the belly button versus at the thigh bone.
Thanks
Oops Johnny
I just realized I hadn’t answered your post – sorry.
OK to clarify. If you dropped a plumb line from your belly button while you are standing in Tree Pose, then it would pass through your heel and your crotch. This is when you can bring your hand from gripping under your foot to join the other hand in prayer position.
If your heel is over your thigh bone (femur) or between your crotch and your femur then you would get a lot more out of this pose if you keep your hand under your foot.
Use the leverage to pull your foot up, elbow pointing backward. Your shoulder drops, chest lifts and your back lengthens against the pull. And at the same time you can push your knee down and back. Once you take away your hand from the foot you lose this powerful opening ability.
Does that help?
Kind regards
Gabrielle 🙂Posted by johnny88
Thanks very much Gabrielle.
I’ve got it – but still with one hand for now!
Hi Johnny
Some will never get beyond this point. It doesn’t matter.
Alignment before depth. Always. Work the pose so you can give yourself the best benefits possible.Cheers
Gabrielle 🙂Hello again
A quick addendum:
Remember to always avoid over-twisting the knee and creating undue strain. Don’t force the heel into the midline just so you can let go of your hand. You will not gain anything by using force.Gabrielle 🙂
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