Tree Pose with Toe Stand | Tadasana with Padangustasana
Tree pose and toe stand are the last standing postures before we start with the floor series and are also one last chance to practice balancing on one foot.
The first one is tree pose and works on hip, knee and ankle flexibility of the leg in the air. The standing leg thigh and hip muscles are contracted to support a straight and solid standing leg, all the while vertically stretching the spine. Once you are able to do a good tree pose you will be instructed to do the toe stand; this can take a long time and you might notice in the lesson most people are doing a 2nd set of the tree pose; they too are not yet ready for toe stand.
The toe stand should only be done when; you are able to keep your heel higher than the level of your pubic bone, you can easily maintain a straight solid standing leg, your hips are level with the floor and you can keep the vertical stretch on your spine. When the teacher sees you doing all of these things, they will let you know you are ready to begin the toe stand. To perform the toe stand you must not have any knee injuries. It requires a tremendous amount of core strength to keep the stability of the posture while balancing all your body weight on just your toes. So focus on stretching up in the tree pose and you’ll be preparing for your toe stand in the future.
