Like the tree of life, find a beautiful setting to calm the mind and body where nature awaits to nurture your harmony and self-awakening. In the imperfections and unexpected flaws in everyday life, there awaits a spot of beauty for you to roll out the yoga mat and turn to inner harmony. Find that place within and nurture it through your practice.

Yoga tree pose awakens a sense of beauty to be discovered from within and nurtured throughout the body and into the world. Human beings thrive on positive energy evoked from within and expressed into the immediate environment. Expand that awareness and self-expression by standing tall and balancing in tree pose.

Initiating self-balance if through mental focus and concentration. For example, visualize tree pose by standing tall on in the center of the mat with eyes closed. This is the first step in balance awareness. The yoga mat is also referred to as a sticky or non-slip surface, so the hands and feet can grip the mat for execution of balance postures with fingers widened and toes spread wide into the mat without slipping or falling, in order to hold a yoga posture firmly for several minutes of deep breathing and balance. Positioning the body in the correct yoga form is very important because when you learn and practice a yoga posture, it will be instilled in the mind and body whether it is correctly executed or not. If you learn a yoga posture that is not beneficial or correct, you then must unlearn that form and practice the correct one. In the beginning, when learning a new posture, visualize the form of the pose then practice it in the you for the most benefit. Yoga postures are visualized to benefit the body and release negative habits that restrict movement.

One of the goals of yoga is to focus on harmony in mind and body. Thus, begin your daily practice by seeking out a harmonious location to initiate postures. Tree pose is an opportunity to return to nature and practice yoga surrounded in an environment of natural beauty. Philosophically, yoga enlivens the human spirit inside and outside of the body. What better place to find solace in a yoga pose then to practice within the quiet world of nature. Tree pose is identified as the tall, balance of a tree that reaches towards the sun as it grows and rests in peaceful harmony as the sun sets. This brief analogy reflects the depth of yoga thinking, harmonizing with the calming energy within the body and the sensitivity of emotions breaking through hard-core analytical thinking and limited, frozen movements. Yoga is an expression of harmony initiated in the mind and body. Take your yoga into the natural surroundings of peace and solace, keep the eyes closed and balance like a tall tree lifting one leg to rest on the inside of the opposite thigh and raising the arms to reach for the sky. Become that tall tree and stand with confidence in this balance pose. When practicing yoga, we choose our self-image and initiate it through fusion, harmony, and balance.

In this individual tree pose balance posture, the form comes from within as the best we can initiate. We can study yoga magazine models executing yoga postures as an example, but in yoga we do not compare ourselves to others; we initiate poses as we perceive them with the best our present ability. yoga is a visualization that creates harmony from within and expands that awareness into our environment and contact with others. Every human being is seeking solace, peace, and joy in each day. When we practice yoga postures, we are clearing a space in the mind and body to discover our solace from within. Yoga is a personal path of awareness and growth.

Join us a Shield Wellness Center in Sebring, US 27 just North of Sun and Lakes Blvd. turn off; Shield is on the right. When you practice yoga with others who share these healing concepts, a new feeling of confidence arises. Join the free yoga classes at Shield on Tuesday and Fridays, 1-2:30 p.m. and Thursdays, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Discover your own peace and harmony.