Pincha Mayurasana — Peacock Tail Feather or Forearm Balance
Inversions literally turn our world upside down! For many of us this is where fear is encountered. But learning to work with the fear and get past it is well worth the effort and patience. Inversions revitalize the whole system and they send nourishment and oxygen to the brain, reversing the effect gravity has on our body. The mind clears and thinking improves. All inversions, since the legs are elevated, improve circulation, nourish the cells in the face, muscles and skin, relieve fatigue in the legs and feet, improve digestion and elimination and relieve sluggishness in the inner organs. My favorite time of the day to do inversions is in the morning, because they create acalmness to the brain and at the same time stimulate the brain.
Forearm balance is a little different from the other two big inversions (headstand and shoulder stand) in that it builds a lot of upper body strength. But on the flip side - you need some upperbody strength to hold this pose. Bummer! All I can say is practice and this pose will become easier and more fun. I recommend when you first do this pose to do it with an instructor in a classroom. This pose isn't taught until Level 3 at Sun & Moon, so it's considered an intermediate/advance pose.
Like most yoga poses, whatever has contact with the floor is grounding into the floor and this grounding creates a rebound (uprooting of energy) through the body. So, in the pose the forearms will be the foundation and that is what will ground down into the floor. The rebound from there will eventually create the lightness in the pose. Sometimes this lightness, feeling of weightlessness, is where fear might sneak in.
Start in table pose facing the wall with the finger tips a couple of inches from the wall. From table pose, drop onto your forearms so the elbows are under the shoulders. You want the upper arms to be vertical to the floor during this entire process. From here on the knees take time to set your foundation. The fingers are pointing forward and spread as in Downward Facing Dog Pose. Press down through the forearms, the fingers and knuckles. As you do this lift the upper arms and shoulders up away from the floor.
Lift the hips in to dolphin pose (like Downward Dog but on your forearms). The gaze is down to the floor in between the elbows or there about. Be careful not to strain the neck. Check the upper body alignment again here. Forearms and fingers pressing down, upper arms and shoulders lifting up. If the wrists slide toward each other, add a block between the hands (see below under Watch For). This may be your stopping point for this pose today - here you are building upper body strength. If you would like to continue
Start to walk the feet in toward you. This is important, as you walk the feet in keep lifting the hips and lengthen through the torso so they are heading over the shoulders. Also important, don't let the shoulders drop forward toward the floor, keep them LIFTING from the floor. Your instinct will tell you when you're ready to kick up with one leg and the second will eventually follow.
If the feet kick up to the wall, focus on all the same points from the foundation of the pose. Grounding down through the forearms and lifting the upper arms, shoulders, torso and legs up to the sky! And of course breathe. After a few breaths, take the legs down one at a time and rest in child's pose.
If you don't get up the first try (most of us don't) then take a rest in child's pose and come up to table and repeat the steps or do the modification listed below, walking the feet up the wall.
Watch for:
The wrists sliding toward each other. Add a block, on the wide side, between the index and thumbs.
Sinking in the shoulders. Remember to lift up from the grounding of the forearms The upper arms and shoulders are lifting away from the floor. If the head comes to the floor or is close, you're probably sinking in the shoulders.
Banana boat back. This action is throwing the ribs too much forward so the back over arches. To keep this from happening, bring the breath into the back body and bring the front ribs toward the back body.
Modifying:
If the fear is there with kicking up, start with walking the feet up the wall. So when you start in table pose the heels are on the wall, you're facing away from the wall. Then instead of kicking the legs up, walk the feet up to about hip height from dolphin pose. The rest of the steps above apply.
Have fun with Pincha Mayurasana and enjoy the journey!
Justina Brewer