1. Inversions. Inversions are a great way to counter the effects of gravity, relieving pressure on the spine and neck. They ease stress and tension, stimulate mental clarity and focus, and provide a mini mood lift (and face-lift!). All your internal organs get a little more room - like fluffing a pillow of guts and heart. In the yoga room inversions require a lot of physical strength, balance, energy, and focus, and often, physiological shape - not everyone is designed for every posture, and even a basic posture like Down Dog can be uncomfortable for LOTS of people. And at home, it’s not a great idea to practice intense inversions like headstands without a buddy to spot you - especially for beginners. Well, dangling from a supportive prop like the TYMS allows any level of practitioner to get upside down and get the blood and energy flowing. Start slowly - just a minute or so the first time, and build your upside-down stamina,  and come up slowly and carefully, with your hands on the slings and feet on the trunk of the Tree. If you feel dizzy or nauseous, just turn yourself over into a relaxed Down Dog, with the slings across the front of your hips.

2. Backbends. Same as #1. The slings around your hips or ribs make one of the strongest spotters for a backbend you can find, and there are backbends for every person. From a solid foundation on the ground, to the trunk, and upside down, everyone can get into their deepest backbends in the slings. But again - go slow, take it easy, get warmed up first, don’t overdo it. That Tree will still be there tomorrow, and believe me, you’ll want to do it again and again and again.

3. Connecting to Nature. Getting outside and seeing the sunlight through the leaves and the sky and clouds, feeling grass and bark and earth under your feet and hands. You know all those odd chirps and clicks and whistles your massage therapist plays in the background? Yeah, that’s what nature sounds like too.

4. Breathing Real Air. When I hear the breeze in the tops of the Trees, I immediately open my throat and pull in the breath as noisily and fully as I can, trying to match that sound. It vibrates the whole internal universe, and then all systems are go.

5. Hip Opening. The sling design pretty much guarantees your hips are going to get stronger, and they will open. Name the posture your hips object to - tree, pigeon, warrior, triangle, butterfly, deer, lotus, etc. - and there is a technique to help you work on it with the strongest stretching partner you can find.

6. Upper Body Work. Ditto - so many ways to stretch open the shoulders, chest, and upper back and build strength in the upper body and arms. Plus, you are actively using arm strength in the vast majority of postures, holding on to the slings to support you in the poses. And you are a lot heavier (not in a bad way) in the slings - the weight-bearing effects of working at an angle, off the ground, are exponential. You are pulling hundreds of extra pounds against gravity, and you WILL get toning in the arms.

7. Heart Opening, and Dealing with Fear. All those backbends, of course, help to open us up to our emotional stuff and release it, enabling healing and confidence and joy. The strength and certainty of Trees, holding and supporting you, allows you to work through fear, and frees you up to go deeper.

8. Speaking of Joy, do you remember hanging upside down on the playground, or swinging as high as you could on the swings? Do you remember climbing Trees? Do you play?

9. Alignment & Balance. Standing on one leg is hard enough without all that tension in the hamstring preventing you from getting your hip in the right place, and now you’re supposed to get your spine straight too? Are they kidding? Yoga is hard! Stretching partners and props can make a big difference when you are struggling with alignment or balance, because they can support one part of the body while you focus on another. This is great for anyone new to yoga, or seriously tight, or recovering from an injury, or with bad yoga habits to break. Did I miss anyone?

10. Strength. As is true for the upper body and arms is true for the core: spine, abs, obliques, inner thighs, hip flexors, quads and glutes all have tons of opportunity to get solid as a tree trunk. Yes, it still kind of sucks to have to work the abs, but for me, hanging upside down with the smells and sounds and sights of nature to do my crunches makes it not too tough to take.