Mayurasana, or peacock pose, is a liberating pose known for its cleansing and detoxifying benefits.
The peacock symbolizes beauty, strength, compassion and the ability to destroy snakes…and digest their venom (don’t try that snake venom part at home).
There are plenty of steps to build into this pose, which we’ll be featuring in our upcoming asana manual (I’m such a tease, aren’t I?).
This pose is not for the feint of heart (or stomach). Those pointy little elbows will feel horrible at first. And the weight on the wrists will seem extreme. But if you work up to this slowly (again, our ‘how to manual’ is coming soon!), you’ll feel fabulous when you finally nail this.
Be sure to download the pdf of this tip sheet at the bottom of this post.
asana name = mayurasana
- mayura = peacock
- asana = seat
benefits
- strengthens arms, shoulders and wrists
- strengthens manipura chakra (power center)
- pressure on abdomen improves digestion and relieves indigestion and constipation
- improves balance and concentration
- builds confidence and self esteem (think of a proud peacock)
contraindications
- wrist/arm injuries
- abdominal surgery
- hernia
preparations and modifications
- build up to this asana by strengthening core, arms and back (yes, chaturanga dandasana) and preparing the wrists (see our post on strengthening the wrists)
- hamsasana (swan pose)
- padma mayurasana
attitude
- regal and proud;
- confident and self-assured.
What you can do next
- Please feel free to share in the comments below…we’d love to hear your thoughts and reflections on this article!
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- Grab your free asana tip sheet by clicking the button below..
It’s a beautiful pose. I look forward to trying it! It may be for a more advanced version of myself, but I’ll try:)
Be patient and work your way up to this one, Tarah. It took me a while to get to the full asana. We gave a few ways to modify the pose, so try those out first. Good luck and enjoy the journey!