Pose · V
Tree Pose
Vṛkṣāsana
One foot on the floor, the other pressed into the standing leg, hands overhead. Tree is the first balance pose most people meet and the one that teaches the least obvious lesson in the whole standing repertoire: that the wobble is the practice, not the failure.
The shape, with joint angles
The angles are measured on the drawn skeleton and change with the variant you pick. Treat them as a starting reference, not a target to force.
Specification
| Sanskrit | Vṛkṣāsana |
|---|---|
| Also called | One-legged mountain |
| Level | Beginner |
| Loads | Ankles · Balance · Hips · Core |
| Props | Mat · Wall |
| Typical hold | 30 sec |
| Gaze | |
| Published | 27 September 2026 · By The Asana Desk |
Getting in
- 01
Start in Mountain pose and pick a point to look at before you move anything. The gaze is the first support, not the last.
- 02
Shift the weight into the left foot and lift the right heel, keeping the toes on the floor as a kickstand.
- 03
Turn the right knee out to the side and place the sole of the right foot on the inner left ankle or the inner calf — never on the side of the knee.
- 04
When the balance is steady, walk the right foot up the inner left thigh and press it there. The foot presses in; the thigh presses back.
- 05
Draw the lower belly in gently and lift the front of the pelvis; the standing hip wants to push out sideways, so resist that.
- 06
Bring the hands together in front of the chest, or take the arms overhead and separate them into a V.
- 07
Hold for 30 seconds, breathing evenly, then release the foot to the floor and repeat on the other side.
Working notes
What balance actually is
Balance is not stillness. The ankle and foot make small corrections several times a second and the corrections are supposed to happen — a body that holds perfectly rigid is using the wrong strategy and will fall further when it finally goes.
That is why the drishti is taught first. The eyes send the fastest position signal the brain gets, and fixing them on a stationary point removes one whole source of noise so the ankles can do their work with less to correct.
Where to put the foot, and where never to
| Foot placement | Difficulty | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Inner ankle, toes on the floor | Easiest | The toes give a third contact point |
| Inner calf, below the knee | Moderate | Two contact points; the ankle does all the work |
| Inner thigh, above the knee | Hardest | The lifted hip must open and the pelvis stay level |
| Foot on a wall behind you | Adapted | The wall carries some of the sideways load |
The foot goes on the ankle, the calf, or the thigh. It never goes on the side of the knee joint: the knee bends forward and back, and a sideways push against it is the one direction it has no defence against.
If the foot slides down the thigh, that is usually a sign that the standing hip has drifted out to the side. Bring the hip back over the foot before you press the foot higher.
Self-checks
- Are both hip points still facing forward, or has the lifted knee dragged the pelvis around with it?
- Is the standing foot gripping with the toes, or spread evenly across the sole?
- Can you blink without losing the pose?
- Is the breath still smooth, or have you started holding it at the top?
Safety
Skip or heavily modify the pose if any of these apply to you. When in doubt, ask a teacher who can see you move, or a clinician who knows your history.
- Recent ankle, knee or hip injury on the standing leg: keep both feet down and practise the arm position only.
- Low blood pressure or dizziness: do the pose near a wall and come out slowly if the room starts to swim.
- Inner-ear conditions or vertigo: keep the eyes open, the stance wider and the hold short.
- Pregnancy after the first trimester: use a wall for support and avoid long holds on one leg.
- Do not press the foot against the side of the knee joint under any circumstances.
This page is informational only. It is not medical advice and no pose here is a treatment for any condition.
- Stand with one hand on a wall until the balance is reliable — the wall is training, not cheating.
- Keep the toes of the lifted foot on the floor behind you as a kickstand for the first weeks.
- Practise with the eyes open and the gaze fixed, then try five seconds with the eyes closed in Mountain pose first.
- Stand on a folded blanket if the floor is hard and the standing foot aches after a minute.
Useful propsMat · Wall
- A wall on one side is the single most useful prop for this pose: touch it with a fingertip, not the whole palm.
- A block on the floor beside you gives the lifted foot somewhere to rest at calf height.
- No prop once the balance holds for thirty seconds on both sides.
- Recent ankle, knee or hip injury on the standing leg: keep both feet down and practise the arm position only.
- Low blood pressure or dizziness: do the pose near a wall and come out slowly if the room starts to swim.
- Inner-ear conditions or vertigo: keep the eyes open, the stance wider and the hold short.
- Pregnancy after the first trimester: use a wall for support and avoid long holds on one leg.
- Do not press the foot against the side of the knee joint under any circumstances.
Steady nasal breathing, four counts in and four out, with no pause at the top of the inhale.
- The moment the breath stops, the pose has become a grip; come down and try again.
- Lengthen the exhale if you notice the shoulders climbing.
- Do not use the breath to force the balance — let it stay even and let the balance be uneven.