Pincha Mayurasana, Forearm Stand, Feathered Peacock Pose…whatever your preference when it comes to naming this challenging inversion, the plentiful benefits remain the same.
To be able to utilize this shape in your practice your basic yoga foundations need to be pretty strong. Once you’re up and running in Pincha, the work just keeps on coming. Here are just some of the benefits of Pincha Mayurasana you can look forward to reaping.
1. Upper Back Strength
Pincha is renowned for its capabilities of strengthening the shoulders and upper back muscles. You can feel the work happening even as you hold the posture! With the correct alignment and guidance the upper back can become a place of grounded strength and support.
2. Improved Balance
This posture is a challenging balance and it takes concentration and focus in order to stay up. The tiny muscles used to help stabilize the posture are accessed without much thought on our end, and as we utilize those muscles more we procure better balance in all other areas of our life.
3. Calming The Mind
Turning upside down is a wonderful way to relieve stress and combat depression. It brings fresh blood to the brain to reinvigorate the mind, and energize our bodies.
The mindful dedication to the present moment that it takes to stay balanced upside down leaves no room for those nagging, worrisome thoughts that pollute our heads daily. Pincha leaves us at peace and certainly a little less stressed out.
4. Igniting The Side Body
This upside down shape requires a lot of muscular toning in the outer torso area. The muscles that zig-zag between the ribs are known as the serratus muscles and they are activated in a big way in Pincha.
These muscles are what help us lift up and out of the shoulders and arms, and provide a stable upside down stance.
5. Stretch Out
Even a straight up-and-down Pincha stretches out the front of the body, but specifically any back bending variations will help stretch out the entire frontal plane of the body including the thighs, hips, belly and chest.
6. Enticing Focus
This posture takes all your concentration and focus to maintain balance. Lose sight of that focus for even a split second and you could for-go the hold. It builds the kind of focus that can be created on your mat and then taken off into the outside world to be applied to many different aspects of your life.
7. Develop Arm Strength
Perhaps it goes without saying that the upper arms (triceps, deltoid and smaller structures) get strengthened here. However, the lower arms are what provide your weight-bearing base, and as such they get stronger (along with your wrists) with every hold too.
So you see, once you have found your Pincha Mayurasana Pose the journey is not over. In fact you will have just begun working through all these specific areas in this particular shape.
Have fun and be safe, yogis!
