The Tree of Yoga

​The humble tree can represent the 8-Fold Path as set out by Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. The asana (yoga poses) and the Pranayama (breath work) help the practitioner to detach the mind from the contact of the body, this leads towards concentration (Dharana) and meditation (Dhyana).

The covering of the bark protects the energy flowing inside the tree, between the leaves and the roots. This is pratyahara (sense withdrawal) our inward journey of our senses from the skin towards the core of our being. You could imagine the Sap as the juice that carries this energy inside as Dharana (Concentration).

When we experience this unity within, when the observer and the observed are one and the same, we are healthy, our flower or inner being blossoms into Dhyana (Meditation), which is the flower of the tree of Yoga. When this flower transforms into fruit, we have reached Samadhi. When the body, mind and Spirit are United and merge with the Universal Spirit. To attain the 8 Fold path of Hatha Yoga we have to Practice Practice Practice.

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