Urdhva Vrikshasana

Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana

Woman performing Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana from the front
English name(s)	Upward Tree Position
Sanskrit	ऊर्ध्व वृक्षासन / Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana
Pronunciation	[uːrd̪ʱʋɐʋr̩kʂɑːsɐnɐ]
Meaning	ūrdhva: "upwards" vṛkṣa: "tree" āsana: "posture"
dṛṣṭi (eye focus)	अङ्गूष्ठमध्ये दृष्टि / Aṅguṣṭhamadhye dṛṣṭi (to thumbs)
Asana type	Standing Asanas
Iyengar difficulty
Base asana	Tāḍāsana/Samasthitiḥ
Effects summary	Helps plantar fasciitis, stretches thoracic cavity (temporarlity increases lung capacity), increases "heat" in the body (countering excess kapha), can affect breathing mechanics to make diaphragmatic breathing come more naturally.
Styles of Yoga	Yoga Krama, Ashtanga Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Hatha Yoga
Location in Ashtanga Vinyasa series	Sūrya Namaskāra and interspersed throughout all series

Urdhva Vrikshasana (IPA: [uːrd̪ʱʋɐʋr̩kʂɑːsɐnɐ]; Sanskrit: ऊर्ध्व वृक्षासन;IAST: Ūrdhva Vṛkṣāsana) is an asana. An English translation for this asana is "Upward Tree Position". In Ashtanga Yoga it is the first asana of Surya Namaskara. In some instances this asana may also be called Tadasana, depending on the practitioner's yoga style and lineage.

This asana or its variations may also be known a Urdhva Hastasana (IAST: Ūrdhva Hāstāsana; Sanskrit: ऊर्ध्व हास्तासन; IPA: [uːrdʰʋɐ hɐːstɐːsɐna]), meaning "Upward Hands Pose".

This compound noun phrase comes from Sanskrit: urdhva (Sanskrit: ऊर्ध्व, Sanskrit: ūrdhva) meaning "up, upwards"; vriksha (Sanskrit: वृक्ष, Sanskrit: vṛkṣa) meaning "tree, especially with visible blossoms or fruits"; and asana (Sanskrit: आसन, Sanskrit: Āsana) meaning "pose".

This asana or variations of it may also be called Ūrdhva Hāstāsana. From Sanskrit: urdhva (Sanskrit: ऊर्ध्व, Sanskrit: ūrdhva) meaning "up, upwards"; hasta (Sanskrit: हास्त, Sanskrit: hāsta) meaning "formed with the hands"; asana (Sanskrit: आसन, Sanskrit: Āsana) meaning "pose".