Published in the Family Post Fall 2006

Contributed by Deborah Jordan

Yoga is a great activity to help a woman’s body heal and stabilize after the birth of her child. The needs she has at this time of her life are specific: poses to remind her to practice healthy posture, upper body strengthening to keep up with caring for a growing baby, and core stabilization poses and movements to “close” her body after the profound “opening” that pregnancy and childbirth create.

Tree Pose (Sanskrit name: Vriksasana) is a pose that strengthens our core, reminds us to practice healthy posture, and is a classic balance pose with many variations for developing a solid center. Baby Taylor is helping mommy by providing extra weight for additional challenge. This pose strengthens thighs, calves, ankles, and the spine. It relieves sciatica and reduces flat feet. It stretches the groins, inner thighs, chest and shoulders (if arms are overhead).

Cautions: If you have high blood pressure, keep arms at sides. Do not practice if you have extremely low blood pressure, a headache, or a migraine. If neck or shoulder tension is present, do not raise arms above shoulder height. Postnatal: hold baby in center or practice independent with baby on floor.

To Practice: Begin by rooting the feet. Stand while spreading the toes as if each is a root going out and down into the earth for support. Lift your arches as if they are tap roots drawing energy up into your legs and your belly. You may have your baby in one arm but stay lifted on that side – do not collapse the hip and rib cage. This is a good practice for how to hold baby throughout your day. Experiment: some women like to hold baby on the standing leg side but others like to rest baby on the “up” leg and some like to hold baby front and center with both arms.

Pull the belly in toward the spine and lift upwards toward the sky through the top notch of your collarbone. When you lift, the shoulders will broaden and rest relaxed on each side of the torso. Soften the knees and drop your tailbone into neutral (do not tuck the tail-drop it). Pull upward through the torso, neck and head from the pelvic floor as you push your belly energy down into the floor and into your roots. Imagine yourself steady as a tree: rooted in the present moment and able to move with the winds of change.

Put all of your weight into the right leg, center your pelvis over the right foot and inhale as you lift the left foot up to the side of the inner calf (shown), to top of inner thigh below the groin, or begin with the left toe pad on the floor and the heel of the left foot against the inside of the right ankle.

If one arm is free, bring it up with energy and a slight curve or straighten out at an angle to the shoulder as you reach up for inspiration.

The Breath: Breathe in and out through the nose softly but fully as you begin. Fill the front and back of the lungs as well as the ribs to the sides. This breath will exercise the secondary muscles of respiration, the intercostal muscles along the ribcage, and will over time increase lung capacity and bring more energy in through a deeper more complete breath. Let the sound of the wind enter your breath. Babies enjoy this sound and it helps quiet your mind in addition to calming your baby.

Postnatal Tip: As new parents we are constantly looking down at our adorable baby. To counter this: turn the eyes only up at an angle toward the sky or if indoors toward the ceiling while practicing this pose. Gazing up lifts our spirits and opens our mind to positive thinking and creative solutions. Try it and see for yourself!

In addition, practice in front of a mirror and engage your baby through your gaze and the sound of your breath. You may also enjoy practicing tree pose in front of a window or sliding glass door so the two of you can look outside at a larger vista of possibility. Be creative!

Reminders: Use your powers of concentration to hold all your attention to the ebb and flow of the breath and the lifting and grounding aspects of the pose as you practice it.