How To Do The Pincha Mayurasana And What Are Its Benefits

Pincha Mayurasana is an asana which is translated as Peacock Feather Pose that has been derived from Sanskrit, the name of this posture comes from the word pinch means feather, Mayura means peacock, and asana means pose or seat. 

Curl your toes under and lift your hips to come into a Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) position with your legs. This position is also called Dolphin (Ardha Pincha Mayurasana) or puppy pose sometimes. Try to walk your feet in towards your elbows as much as possible as your hips will come over your shoulders. Pincha Mayurasana is an inverted posture. Try to avoid this pose if you have high blood pressure, injuries in the spine, shoulders, elbow, or neck. Always consult your medical practitioner while practicing any asana. Pincha Mayurasana is a forearm stand pose. It is just like a peacock that spans its feathers out, beautiful and showy pose. It requires a lot of skills and patience to do it correctly.

Pincha Mayurasana is a forearm balance similar to Vrishchikasana, but the legs are straight, stretched up over the head, with the back less extremely arched. Practice this pose with full dedication and honesty. It has number of benefits if practices with focus.

Steps to do Pincha Mayurasana

It has a number of steps as a forearm stand makes you more stable than the handstand because of the larger foundation/base that the forearm gives. It’s quite challenging so take your time to enter into this pose.

1. Firstly, lie down to your stomach, facing the wall.
2. Gently bend your elbows as they will be directly under your shoulders. Bring your palms together in Anjali Mudra Pose.
3. Lift up your hips and walk towards your arms as close as you can get.
4. Raise your right leg as much as possible and kick up the other leg off the floor. This action will help you push your body up from the bottom and allow your feet to touch the floor.
5. Stay in this pose for a few seconds. And then keep your head off the floor and make sure that your shoulders are away from your ears.
6. Next, try to touch your thumbs to your third eye while your palms will remain still in the Anjali Mudra as you lift your gaze.
7. Your feet will be in touch with the wall, and you will remain in the perpendicular pose on the ground.
8. Breathe slowly and deeply in this pose and stay as it is till you are comfortable. Release the pose in same manner as you entered into the pose.

Benefits of doing Pincha Mayurasana

It will be difficult for beginners to stop your elbows from sliding away from each other, but it will be relatively easy when you practice regularly. 

1. Pincha Mayurasana helps you in making your shoulders, arms, and back stronger.
2. It gives your neck, chest, shoulders, belly a good stretch.
3. It improves your concentration and increases your balancing power.
4. It gives you inner strength and makes you physically healthy.
5. Increases your stamina, calm your brain, stress, and mild depression.

Try to avoid Pincha Mayurasana if you are not fit from your heart or having high blood pressure. It is advised not to practice this asana if you suffer from a headache, shoulder, or neck injury.