Practice Peacock Pose
Mayurasana
PRACTICE PEACOCK POSE
We go to our yoga practice for many different reasons at any given time. Within our asana practice, we are sometimes seeking softness and ease. At other times, we might be striving for vigour and strength. Peacock Pose is for when we are in pursuit of the latter. It requires an ample amount of strength, but will equally build strength if we are not yet at that point. Taking steps to practice Peacock Pose means we are ready to jump into the fire of what this arm balance posture has to offer.
When Matt teaches arm balances, he teaches us about the concept of “lean, resist, push”. This is what guides us to ultimately find our balance. The same concept exists here, except that he explains that we must approach the “resist” portion differently. The backwards placement of the hands changes our experience with this. The muscle engagements are different.
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START “SIMPLE” BICEP ACTIVATION
Even though we have many of the same principles of an arm balance in peacock pose, there’s a lot we can learn from what is different. For example, the placement of the hands is backwards, which makes our hands a “pulling” force rather than the traditional pushing. Our biceps “pull” us into a position to avoid leaning too much and falling over.
Asana practice however, does not provide many opportunities for bicep strength. So how do we prepare these muscles that are integral to the pose? In today’s video, Matt offers two drills that can be incorporated into our practice.
First, like a bicep curl, we can resist the push of the top hand through range of motion by bringing the bottom hand up, or by simply creating an isometric contraction.
Next, we can pull our hands towards one another and even swiping each hand up to the opposite shoulder.
WATCH THE VIDEO
PRACTICE PEACOCK POSE: PREPARE YOUR PULLING MUSCLES
BADDHA KONASANA VARIATION
As always, progression is key. When it’s time to actually explore this arm balance, this Baddha Konasana variation is a great step before we attempt the plank-like position of Peacock Pose. Why? It’s an option that allows us to create less weight in the pose by having our knees bent.
To start off, placing a support in front just in case we fall is a good plan.
In this Baddha Konasana variation of Peacock Pose, we practice the hand placement and arm setup while creating a diamond shape in the legs. As we lean forward we must remember that nothing is stopping us, it’s the biceps (our pulling muscles) that need to work. It’s all about pressing our hands into the ground and pulling them towards our face which will help with the counterbalance. It will move some weight back towards our feet, which will help us from falling forward.
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PLANK POSITION FOR PEACOCK POSE
When we arrive in this variation of Peacock Pose, the back muscles are of course involved, but it’s the leaning forward which also takes the legs up.
Also, there can be some conversation about the placement of the elbows. With a deeply rounded back, we may get them very low down or even below the belly button, especially during the initial set up phase, but body proportion needs to be taken into consideration along with when the legs lift up. Matt reminds us that when the legs lift up, it can move the belly button area further away from the elbows. It doesn’t mean that they are now in the wrong place.
Essentially, we have the same setup as the previous variation, but you’ll see in the video that the legs go straight back and we need to be bold with the “lean” element.
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TAKE CARE AND LEAN
Before we even attempt any variation of Peacock Pose, we must not only prepare the pulling muscles (bicep drills like the ones offered in today’s video), we must also not underestimate how much we need to lean forward to protect our wrists. If we are at a 90 degree angle or less, this may cause a lot of pressure on the wrists. Leaning forward will increase the angle and potentially minimize the tension. It’s like a cycle. Unless we prepare the pulling muscles, we will not have the capacity to lean to the necessary degree.
The beauty of the practice is developing this discernment. We develop the sense of what stage fits our development. Taking care to utilize this discernment indicates longevity in our bodies and in our practice.
Prepare to receive step by step instruction and education in Matt’s upcoming online arm balance workshop Step Into The Fire.
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Article by Trish Curling
Video Extracted From: Arm Balance Immersion
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