This pose is called Pincha Mayurasana. In Sanskrit it means Feathered Peacock or Peacock’s Tail. Every time I practice this pose, I automatically tap into my childhood memory bank and the Firebird image comes to mind from my student days in college. It also takes me momentarily to my childhood to the Armenian fairy tale called the Hazaran Blbul.
The Firebird is a mythological fairytale bird from Slavic folklore which is described as a large bird with majestic plumage that glows brightly emitting fiery light. One feather can light a large room. By the king’s orders, the main hero of the story is set to find the bird and pluck one feather from it which can light up a whole room by itself and bring it back to the king.
I won’t go in detail into the fairy tale. It really has nothing to do with the pose. Maybe it does, I don’t know. In fact, all the poses in Yoga have a purpose and most have some sort of a myth to go alone with them. Knowing, visualizing, understanding the symbolic meanings of these myths can help the practice immensely, give it depth, purpose and growth to the practitioner.
When one practices, the entire physical organism becomes radiant and the breath becomes deep as the lungs expand beyond their capacity. I equate that to the fiery plumage of the Firebird. For an instant we transform into the mythological bird as we emulate its bird-ness. We glow!
In the Armenian fairy tale Hazaran Blbul, the mythological bird makes the land bloom through its song. I parallel that with the breath and every cell of our bodies ringing and singing in gratitude when blood rushes throughout our bodies as we fly from this pose to that pose with the creative force of the inhalation and the profound depth of the exhalation.
The Firebird is also a musical work, a composition by Igor Stravinsky written for ballet in the beginning of the 20th century. Back in college as a music composition major, I had to analyze and do an in-depth study of the orchestration of that piece. It was and still is considered one of the masterpieces in orchestral arrangement in classical music. Every time I perform this pose, I hum the opening melodies of the piece and like a mantra, it helps me get through the difficulties of that particular sequence.
The role of the Firebird in fairy tales is an object of a difficult quest which brings me to the demanding aspect of the yoga practice. This pose is not very easy to do especially when it’s part of a sequence of other poses that precede it. One already is pretty tired by the time she gets to this pose. Independently performed it’s not that bad but as part of a challenging sequence requires focus and concentration otherwise one is set to give up and just stop the practice. A yogi’s will power, strength, and sense of commitment is really tested here.
Like the hero of the fairytale tasked with a difficult mission, those who commit to daily practice of anything, whether it’s yoga or woodworking, are heroes in my book. Without commitment and serious inquiry within our minds through the mirror of our crafts, there will be no growth or transformation. Life will be dull and vain like it is for many. The key is finding something we love doing and committing heart and soul, time and a lifetime to it.
Yoga has that power as long as it’s not misunderstood. If we put away all the flowery garbage that comes with the modern yoga culture and directly experience this practice through movement and breath, ongoing observation and scrutiny of our defective minds, then we can perhaps shed some of rotten fungal layers and get access to more creative layers of our minds that inspire innovation, imagination, and lack of judgement.
Comments