Benefits of Pincha Mayurasana (Feathered Peacock Pose)

Feathered Peacock Pose or Pincha Mayurasana as its named in Sanskrit, represents the beautiful feathers of the peacock that lift its tail upright. This represents the peacock in all its grandeur. The fierceness that is described in the peacock should be imbibed in our day to day lives.

You can also call it as the elbow stand or the forearm stand pose too. As the entire weight falls on your shoulders, it has tremendous strength to withhold that balance for a specific period of time. As the shoulders are not joined together but kept at a distance distributing your weight on both the shoulders. 

​Similar to Downward-facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) and Handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana) this pose also tests our fear of falling. It is different from Tree pose(Vrksasana) as the arms are not bent and in this asana it is the bending giving you the extra support. Feathered Peacock is NOT an easy pose to do on your own. You can however use the wall as a support (as seen in the picture) when first trying this pose. The help of an experienced yoga teacher may also provide extra support when first learning/practicing this pose. Even though it may look like a simple asana, doing it can be a different ball game all together.

Benefits:
It is a stress buster that aids you to relax due to the position of the asana. The tension that would be in the shoulder area is easily removed.

It opens your chest, the pose also helps the shoulders including your upper arms and upper back. As your rib area and stomach area keeps the body straight they get toned too.

The legs and buttocks are also strengthened because of the need, to keep your body in a straight line. This position lets you strengthen your thighs as it has to be kept straight without bending over. Thigh muscles benefit greatly by doing this inverted pose. 

In this pose too the blood from the legs rushes down to the head, supplying it with fresh blood, which rejuvenates you as well as refreshes your mind and body to the highest proximity.

Note:  Be careful while doing this pose if you have high blood pressure, spinal injuries, shoulder, elbow or neck injuries. Consult a doctor before beginning an exercise regime.

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