Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Downward Facing Tree Pose

adhomukha = having the face downwards
vrksaa = tree

Breathing

This can be one of the most difficult poses in which to breathe effectively because of the challenges of balancing, inverting, and doing strong upper-body actions. Many people instinctively hold the breath, partly out of fear, but also because of a need to stabilize the movements of the spine. Of course, to maintain this balance for more than a few seconds, the breath must be integrated into the pose -- not necessarily as deep, full breaths, but as efficient breaths that don’t disrupt the balancing or stabilizing actions of the core musculature.

Images from the book Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff & Amy Matthews displayed on this website are used under license.