Fitness is measured in many ways, and one of the ways we tend to overlook is balance.

It’s great fun to walk on the curb instead of the sidewalk, but not always so practical. Instead, take 2 minutes a day to practice the Tree pose (Vrksasana in Sanskrit, but you don’t have to know that to do it).

1. Stand with your feet together, shoulders down and back, and breathe. Focus on a point on the wall or floor in front of you, so your line of sight is at about a 45 degree angle.
2. Shift your weight to your left foot, and place your right foot on the inner thigh of your left leg. Use your hand to move your foot if you need to. If you can’t get your foot that high, place it just below the knee instead. Keep your knee turned out (pointed to the side).
3. Put your hands in a prayer position in front of your chest. Move them above your head if you can. Keep breathing.
4. Keep your focus on the point you chose. Imagine your left foot rooted to the earth, and your arms pulled to the sky. Feel the strength of that connection. Keep breathing. Hold the pose for about a minute, then bring your hands back to your chest and put your foot on the floor.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Our days are filled with moments of imbalance – surprises that throw us off our game, challenges we didn’t see coming, unfulfilled expectations. Being able to maintain physical balance and focus helps our minds stay balanced and focused when it matters.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 18th, 2010 at 2:03 am and is filed under Fitness Friday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.