Blindfolded Tree Pose Trust Hold
Quick Intro
Blindfolded Tree Pose Trust Hold takes tree pose, a single-leg standing balance hold, and removes sight entirely. One partner closes their eyes or wears a blindfold and lifts into the pose, while the other stands close with hands ready at the hips, always set up within reach of a wall or a fixed surface as an immediate backup.
The pose’s own full technique is broken down at Tree Pose.
What You’ll Need
A blindfold or an eye mask, and a wall or sturdy surface within arm’s reach.
How to Do It Together
- Set up near a backup surface. Confirm the guided partner knows exactly where the wall or the sighted partner’s shoulder is before lifting the foot.
- Lift into the pose. Guided partner stands on one leg, eyes closed or blindfolded.
- Offer light contact. Sighted partner keeps hands ready at the hips, adjusting only as needed to prevent a fall.
- Hold together. Stay in the pose for the target duration, guided partner free to reach for the backup at any point without ending the hold.
- Lower and switch. Lower the foot slowly, switch legs and repeat. After both legs you can swap roles so the other partner takes a turn without sight.
Slow, steady breathing helps balance more here than usual, so it’s worth encouraging out loud.
Why Losing Sight Changes This More Than Expected
Tree Pose Balance Gaze has both partners balancing independently, eyes open, looking at each other the whole time. This exercise removes that entirely and hands the guided partner’s balance over to touch alone. For most people sight is the main sense they balance with in a standing pose like this one, so taking it away makes the hold feel much harder than the sighted version, even at a lower foot position.
That’s exactly why the fall backstop here isn’t optional the way it might be in a sighted balance pose. A wall or the sighted partner’s shoulder has to stay within immediate reach for the entire hold, not just set up loosely nearby, because the usual visual cues that let most people catch a wobble before it becomes a stumble simply aren’t available.
The trust being shared here is specific. The guided partner has to commit to a pose that normally relies on a sense they’ve just given up, fully expecting the sighted partner’s hands to catch whatever sight would otherwise have prevented.
Expect the first attempt to be harder than it sounds going in. The hip contact has to become the guided partner’s main reference point, and the sighted partner adjusts that contact only as needed to prevent a fall.
Reaching for the backup without ending the hold fits the idea in Working Out Together that easing off or stopping early isn’t failing.
If You’re at Different Fitness Levels
The foot can rest lower on the standing leg for more stability, the guide structure stays unchanged either way. Because you swap roles, each of you balances once and guides once, which already accounts for any gap in balance ability between you.
Safety and Consent
Clear the space of trip hazards beforehand. A wall or the sighted partner’s shoulder must stay within immediate reach as a fall backstop for the entire hold, this isn’t optional. Remove the blindfold at once if it feels uncomfortable. Agree beforehand that the guide may keep their hands at your hips.
Every connection moment in these exercises is something either partner can skip or scale back at any point, including this one, no explanation needed. Tree pose with eyes open and no blindfold is the sighted hold, there for the days when losing sight is more than you want.
FAQ
Where does this sit next to the sighted version of this balance pose? Tree Pose Balance Gaze has both partners balancing independently with eyes open. This exercise covers sight entirely and hands one partner’s balance over to touch alone.
Is a wall really required? Yes. A wall or the sighted partner’s shoulder must be within immediate reach for the entire hold, since the usual visual cues that catch a wobble aren’t available here.
Why does this feel so much harder than the sighted version? For most people sight is the main sense they balance with in a standing pose. Taking it away makes the hold much harder, even at a lower foot position.
What if the guided partner starts to feel unsteady? They can reach for the backup wall or shoulder at any point without ending the hold. That option is built into the exercise, not a failure.
What does the sighted partner’s contact do? It is light contact at the hips, adjusted only as needed to prevent a fall. The hands stay close enough to catch a stumble at once.
Can we do this balance with eyes open instead? Yes. Tree Pose alone is the identical pose with no blindfold involved.
Built on Tree Pose. Tree Pose Balance Gaze keeps both partners’ eyes open and balancing independently, a different structure than handing one partner’s balance over to touch alone.