How To Make A "Peacock Feather"

Pinchamayurasana translates as the “Peacock Feather Pose.” This is a challenging Intermediate Series asana that many students struggle with, especially the naturally flexible ones, as it requires a degree of stiffness and strength in the arms, shoulders, and deep in the core muscles.

In this Wellness Wednesday video, I offer several tips for how to begin working on finding your deep inner core strength so you can successfully lift and hold this posture. This same exercise will also train the smaller, weaker muscles and tendons in your arms and shoulders to hold and support the base.

You might find that this posture feels impossible because of your fear of falling.

Not to worry!

Falling is fun. Embrace the momentum and figure out how to land safely, then get back up and try again. That’s one excellent way to find your center.

One identifying feature of Lord Krishna is the peacock feather in his crown.

In India the feather of a peacock is a symbol of good luck, prosperity, beauty, and wisdom. It is a protection against evil and is thought to destroy all poisonous emotions like anger, greed, and jealousy.

Krishna is an avatar of the god Vishnu and represents his compassion, creativity and love.
Over the centuries, he became the focus of numerous bhakti (devotional) cults, which have produced a wealth of religious poetry, music, and painting.

The story about how he received this feather goes something like this, one day while playing his flute in the forest, all the peacocks in the area became drawn to his beautiful music. The birds are filled with bliss and ecstacy and begin dancing around him joyfully while he plays a sweet melody. Krishna himself, becomes completely entranced by the by the mutual euphoria of the peacocks, so he joins them in their dancing, which only increases the rapture of the birds.

The flute, notices Krishna’s uncommon performance and starts to play on its own, inviting him to completely lose himself in the mystical state of rhapsody. After several days, the peacocks finally tire and Krishna continues dancing alone completely absorbed.

After several more days, the music finally comes to an end, leaving the peacocks and Krishna fully immersed in the residue of the vibration, a divine silence. After some time, the King Peacock humbly approaches Krishna, and offers his tail feathers as a “Guru-Dakshina” (the repayment to one’s spiritual guide or teacher). This was his way of acknowledging Krishna with deep respect and thanksgiving and offering the part of himself that was most desirable.

Krishna lovingly accepts the opulent plumage and adorns himself with a single feather.

This story is a reminder for us, as practitioners of yoga, to always give our best skills and treasures to the Supreme (whether you envision this Supreme as your highest Self, God, Krishna or some other divine form).
And when it comes to our spiritual guides, we should not give the scraps leftover at the end of the day, or the things we don’t want or need anymore, instead we can offer what we treasure most.

This story demonstrates how important it is to always be grateful for the gifts we can give and equally, to receive with appreciation and thanksgiving. This reciprocal action of cherishing one another through giving and receiving and giving back again, produces and endless dance of ecstacy, respect, and love.
What we give grows.

Remember, you are always in a position to give. You may feel that what you have to offer is insignificant, but to someone else it might mean the world. Additionally, through the act of giving, you cultivate the virtue of generosity and burn your tendencies towards greediness in the tapas of this discipline.
Trust that you will be provided for and you will receive all the things you truly need.

Cultivate gratitude for all the many simple gifts you are given each day, a kind word, a smile from a stranger, a message from a friend, the touch of a loved one, the roof over your head… the list goes on.

Here is the mantra from Monday this week, a very special chant to Krishna and Rama as avatars of Lord Vishnu:

“Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”

Now it’s your turn!

What are you grateful for?

What are some way you can offer something of value to someone important to you or even to a stranger?

Write down 8 things you’re grateful for in your journal and leave us a note in the comments below!