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Hatha Yoga

PEACOCK – MAYURASANA – All levels –

This pose resembles a peacock with feathers spread behind when the pose is practiced in its final position with extended legs. Described first is the beginner stage to get started with developing the necessary balance and strength in the wrists, arms, legs and body. Once this stage has been practised enough to proceed further, then continue to intermediate and final pose.

Begin by kneeling on the mat with knees wide apart. Sit between heels. Hold your arms in front with bent elbows, keeping elbows and hands together. Breathe deeply and rhythmically. Lean forward and lift your hips, placing palms on the mat close to your knees. The fingers are pointing backward just between knees. Keep your elbows together and place upper abdomen against the elbows. If this is difficult, place elbows farther apart. Keep the head lifted.

Slowly lean forward and lower the forehead to the mat. Keep the abdomen pressed tightly against the elbows which are still together. Continue with rhythmical breathing. Keep feet together with toes pointing back. Now test your weight on your wrists and hands by stretching out one leg, then the other. Tuck the toes under. Your abdomen must resist the elbow pressure. Keep the arms strong, keep the knees straight and the forehead on the mat. Once you succeed in reaching this position, then come down by exhaling and lowering knees to the floor. Sit and shake out the wrists and relax in child’s pose.

Once you are ready to proceed with this pose further to an intermediate stage, then instead of lowering knees to the mat, keep legs straight and on inhalation raise your head and chest. Take a deep breath and contract the muscles of the legs, back, abdomen and neck. Keep feet down. Look forwards. Either come down on knees with exhalation as before, or come into the final pose. To come into final pose, keep looking forward, take a deeper inhalation and then hold breath, stiffen the body, tiptoe forward until legs come off the floor. Instead of lifting the legs to lift the body into the pose it is the forward walking movement that enables the torso to come up and forward. Keep the legs straight and on the same level as the head. Then lower the knees on an exhalation as before and come out of the pose.

BENEFITS:

• Develops balance and patience.
• Strengthen muscles of arms and shoulders, legs, back, abdomen and neck.
• Tones abdominal organs and lungs.
• A tonic for the whole body and mind.
• Helps mental and physical sluggishness as well as hyperactivity with the concentrated and strong muscle effort and deep breathing.

Look within. Do not join with the senses any longer. Learn to discriminate. Become wise. – Sri Swami Sivananda

This yoga asana is an edited contribution for the Sivananda Gurugram sourced from the Sivananda Publication – “Yoga: Your Home Practice Companion” – Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre – 2010

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Glossary

SADHANA: a disciplined means of accomplishing spiritual goal; an ego-transcending spiritual practice; spiritual exertion towards an intended goal.
The goal of Sadhana is to attain some level of spiritual realization, which can be either enlightenment, pure love of God (Prema), liberation (Moksha) from the cycle of birth and death (Saṃsāra), or a particular goal such as the blessings of a deity, as in the Bhakti traditions.
Sadhana is a consciously systematized spiritual path. Sadhana is the purpose for which we have come to this place.
Abhyasa and Sadhana are synonymous terms. The object of Sadhana is to release life from the limitations with which it is bound.
Sadhana is a lifelong process. Every day, every hour, every minute, is an onward march. Obstacles are innumerable in this great voyage. But, so long as you hold God as thy guide, there is nothing to worry about. You are sure to reach the other shore.
Some people have curiosity for the spiritual line. They have no real thirsting for liberation. They think that they will get certain powers or Siddhis (psychic powers) if they do some Yogic practices. When they do not attain the powers, they lose patience and give up the practices, abandon the spiritual path, and pooh-pooh the Yogis and Yoga.
Mere curiosity will not help you to attain any spiritual progress. Curiosity-mongering is more abominable than mischief-mongering. Introspect. Analyze your thoughts and find out whether you have real spiritual hunger or mere curiosity-mongering. Transmute curiosity-mongering into real thirsting for salvation by constant Satsang (association with the wise), study of good religious books, prayer, Japa, and meditation.
You must have interest and liking in your Sadhana. You must understand well the technique and benefits of Sadhana. You must select a Sadhana that is suitable for you. You must have the ability and capacity to do Sadhana. Then alone you will have joy in doing the Sadhana and full success in it.
A person undertaking such a practice is known as a Sadhu or a Sadhaka.

There is no greater joy than that of a life of renunciation of egoism and desires. It is a grand life. Tyaga Renunciation alone can make you fearless and happy. – Sri Swami Sivananda

2022-01-01T20:53:19+00:00