Vrikshasana

Long long ago in a far far away land there once lived a king named Ravana who had everything that a king could want... except for a wife. Ravana longed for so very long to be wed and have children to whom he could give his crown to. The king sought a wife and met women from all around the world but time after time he was let down. Poor Ravana was so discouraged and contemplated giving up for he could not seem to meet a lady who held up to his expectations.

Then one day when Ravana was roaming distant lands looking for a potential wife he caught sight of a beautiful young woman. Ravana being the bachelor and confident king that he was, approached the woman who caught his eye.

Ravana announced his presence, "Hello my fair lady! I am King Ravana and I am looking for a woman whom I can marry and make my queen! What is your name?"

Ravana was sure that he would be able to persuade the woman, but when she responded he was shocked.

"Hello, King Ravana, I am Sita, daughter of Janaka and wife of Rama. I must kindly refuse your offer for I am content with my loving husband."

The king was outraged, for he had never been turned down until now!

Ravana exclaimed, "Very well, if you will not accept my offer and come with me voluntarily, then I have no choice but to force you to come with me!"

Within seconds, guards surrounded Sita and carried her away as she kicked and screamed in an attempt to get free. Sita's love, Rama, could not hear her screams for he was not nearby. In that instance, Sita felt so overwhelmed and helpless.

Upon her arrival to Ravana's palace, Sita was in awe, though she had to pretend as though nothing impressed her. Ravana invited Sita into his palace but she refused. Day after day, night after night, Ravana offered for Sita to stay in his palace but every time she refused. Days, weeks, and months passed by. Sita still never entered the palace for she was a faithful wife to Rama and longed ever so much to be with him again. Snow storms arrived and Sita nearly froze to death but she still would not succumb and enter the palace.

Unfortunately, Rama would not allow for Sita to have shelter as it was the king's attempt to break her down. In the forest, outside the palace was where Sita felt most at home. Here she was able to hear the song birds, flowing water from the creek nearby, the wind blowing the leaves of the ashoka trees. Sita knew that the ashoka tree represented true love and healing... she knew that being surrounded by these trees would bring Rama to her rescue.

Day after day, for the entirety of Sita's involuntary stay, she wished with her whole soul that Rama would hear her and come to her aid.

Sita stood tall and straight amongst the trees with one foot planted and rooted, her other against her inner thigh and her arms stretched above her head.

Then one day a strong northern wind came to Rama and told him that Sita was in grave danger. The wind urged Rama to go in search of Sita, ensuring Rama that he would be guided along the way. Rama made the long trek to the forest where Sita was held prisoner.

Late one night, Rama plotted Sita's escape while the guards slept. To much surprise and delight they were successful and Sita was now safe and in Rama's loving arms.

Author's Note:

I wrote along the traditional storyline of the pose and adapted the story some. In the original story Ravana has multiple wives but I chose to make him seem like an eligible bachelor, which he was not. I felt as though this would allow the reader to first have sympathy for the king, but realize that he is not actually somebody who people should feel sorry for. Also in the original story, Ravana had children and the most well known was Indrajit. I also decided to change this for a dramatic twist that the reader will later realize. Ravana comes to Sita in a disguise and kidnaps her, taking her back to the palace called Lanka which is the kingdom of demons and goblins. In the original story, Rama does not go to Lanka but rather Hanuman travels to find out where Sita is. Once Hanuman learns of her location he returns to inform Rama who then calls up his army. Ramana, Hanuman and the army return to where Sita is held captive, in Lanka, and attacks Ravana. I chose to omit Hanuman going with an army to make it seem as though Rama was able to rescue his wife alone. The original story comes from the Ramayana but a retold story from which I used can be found here and is written by Zo Newell.

The Tree Pose also known as Vrikshasana is a common pose in most yoga practices. The pose requires concentration, focus, and strength in the lower body as well as core. There are various ways to do the pose, depending on where you place your leg that is not grounded to where your hands and arms are placed and even to if you choose to keep your eyes open or not. For a more challenging practice some people put their non-grounded foot higher up on their stable leg. Additionally one might also outstretch their arms as though their arms and hands are tree branches. An easier option is to use the non-grounded leg as a kickstand and keep the foot and leg lower on the stabilized leg. Often people may keep their hands close to their hearts, in a state of prayer and reflection, and keep their eyes open. An example of the pose is above in the photograph.