Feathered Peacock (Pincha Mayurasana)
April Showers Bring Yoga Powers....How to:
Stand facing about 4ft from the wall and perform a modified Downward Facing Dog or Adho Muhka Svanasana with your palms and forearms on the floor. Your fingertips should be right at the base of the wall, and your forearms should be parallel to each other at shoulder width. To ready yourself for and secure yourself in this inversion, firm your shoulder blades against your back torso and pull them toward your tailbone. Then rotate your upper arms outward, to keep the shoulder blades broad, and hug your forearms inward. Finally spread your palms and press your inner wrists firmly against the floor.
Now bend one knee and step the foot in, closer to the wall (let's say the left leg), but keep the other (i.e. right) leg active by extending through the heel. Then take a few practice hops before you try to launch yourself upside down. Sweep your right leg through a wide arc toward the wall and kick your left foot off the floor, immediately pushing through the heel to straighten the leg. Hop up and down like this several times, each time pushing off the floor a little higher. EXHALE deeply each time you hop, and do forget to really breathe.
Hopping up and down like this may be all you can manage for now; find your edge and stop if you wish. However, regularly practice your strength poses like Downward Dog, or Plank Pose (push up position). Eventually you'll be able to kick all the way into the pose. At first your heels may crash into the wall, but again with more practice you'll be able to swing your heels up lightly to the wall. REPETITION AND RETAINING ARE THE KEYS TO LEARNING.
If your armpits and groins are tight, your lower back may be deeply arched. To lengthen it, draw your front ribs into your torso, reach your tailbone toward your heels, and slide your heels higher up the wall. Draw the navel toward the spine. Squeeze the outer legs together and roll the thighs in.
(In Pincha Mayurasana your head should be off the floor; hang it from a spot between your shoulder blades and gaze out into the center of the room).
Stay in the pose 10 to 15 seconds. Gradually work your way up to 1 minute. When you come down, be sure not to sink onto the shoulders. Keep your shoulder blades lifted and broad, and take one foot down at a time with an exhalation. Then repeat by lifting back into Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog) for 30 seconds to a minute. We tend to kick up with the same leg all the time: be sure to alternate your kicking leg, one day right, next day left.
Benefits:
- REVERSES YOUR BLOOD FLOW (which leads to:)
- Leads to increased blood flow to the brain, which carries raised oxygen and energy to the
mind.
- Stimulates the pineal and pituitary glands
- Regulates your metabolism
- Improves memory and concentration and aids circulation
- Raises the pressure on diaphragm and so it calms and deepens breathing
- Strengthens the lungs which helps to cure cough, colds, sinusitis, asthma and sore throat
- Works on neck, abdomen, shoulders, back and arm muscles, and strengthens the core.
- Carries attention to balance and alignment.
- Relieves a fluid buildup in the legs and feet
- Increases the production of sex hormones
- Stimulates the nervous system
- May reverse the effects of sleep loss, lethargy, and memory loss
- Increases the glow of the face and decreases the dark circles around the eyes
- Helps to defeat problems of the kidneys, liver, intestines, stomach and reproductive
organs by reversing the gravity pull
- Aids in the treatment of headaches, sinusitis, hay fever, diabetes, depression and
symptoms of menopause
THIS POSE CARRIES CRAZY AMOUNTS OF BENEFITS... grab a mat, push it up against the wall and get upside down already!! You'll be glad you did.
NAMASTE
