Poised for Possibility: Strike a Pose to Rock the Butte

Meredith (right) and I have tons of fun transforming
traditional asanas into playful partner poses!

by Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D., RYT, RCYT

It's no secret that I love to practice yoga-off-the-mat: brushing my teeth, waiting for coffee, in-line anywhere, traveling.... you name it! I also enjoy traveling to new places to meet new friends and experience yoga, like Yoga Rocks the Butte Festival for all ages including FAMILIES in February!

Try this pose with your family and friends then SEND ME PICTURES to enter a drawing to win a pass to YOGA ROCKS THE BUTTE!

One of my favorite poses to play with is Arbol/Vrksasana/Tree. We offer instructions in English and Spanish to extend our limbs to as many friends as possible.

• Start in Mountain Pose with feet strong (think about your four points of contact)
• Reach forward to grab your right ankle. Put bottom of right foot against upper left thigh

  

  Teachers play "Mirror Tree" pose to extend the
  asana into pratyhara or cultivation of the senses.

• Keep a firm foundation while tightening hips & belly for strength
• Place hands on hips & lengthen your body.
• Hands meet at heart center in Anjali Mudra.
  
• Comienza en pose de Montaña con los pies fuertemente plantados en el piso (piensa en tus cuatro puntos de contacto)
• Estírate hacia adelante para agarrar tu tobillo derecho. Coloca la planta del pie derecho contra la parte superior del muslo izquierdo.
• Mantén una base firme al mismo tiempo que tensas las caderas y la panza para obtener mayor fuerza.



Andersen, my 4 year old Yogiña, sports
Vrksasana almost anywhere, anytime!

• Coloca las manos en las caderas y estira tu cuerpo.



Middle school yogis play in Arbol and add a ball or sandbag
to turn the pose into the OHMazing™ game, Tree Toss.

• Las manos se encuentran en el centro a la altura del corazón para Anjali Mudra.

Our Teacher Training in Crested Butte found us hiking and
striking Tree pose along the way. Join us at Yoga for the Peaceful
in June for another Teacher Training among the mountains!

Elizabeth Reese, Ph.D., RYT, RCYT, is the founder and executive director of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. She is a teacher with over 20 years of experiences leading learners of all ages in creative problem solving, self-reflection and empowerment. With her doctorate degree in art museum education, Reese is the visual arts columnist for the Corpus Christi Caller Times, a visiting instructor at Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi, and the author of several articles and book chapters as well as co-author of the book, Experience Art: Teaching and Learning through Works of Art. Her teaching credentials also include windsurfing and skiing.