Bird of Paradise yoga pose is a good metaphor for removing overwhelm thinking blocks through the pose. It’s like no other bird yoga pose because of the personal mindset growth component.
Learn how in this article 👇
In celebration of today’s #InternationalYogaDay and yoga daily, I thought it would be great to highlight my favorite exotic yoga pose, the Bird of Paradise yoga pose.
This is a good pose for mind-body balance.
The Bird of Paradise yoga pose stretches your arms, legs, buttocks, and shoulders while standing on your yoga mat.
If you’re injured somewhere between your head and toes, this is not one you want to try until you’re confidently healed…
I mention that because I recently was injured, and I couldn’t do the pose. I had a left foot injury where I often had to stand on my right foot without a crutch. I must’ve looked like a flamingo with my one leg propped up behind me resembling the number “4.” 🦩
With injuries, the last thing on your mind can be working out. After you start getting on the body healing path, you can get back, restore, and be determined to find ways to work out parts that work normally in case you need the strength, as I needed. A good way to ease back into physical activity is with light yoga poses.
One of these can be The Bird of Paradise yoga pose that helps build strength in your legs when you need to lean on them the most.
The Bird of Paradise also helps with your balance, especially when you need to rely on one side of your body over another. That’s why it’s good to maintain and build body strength as you never know when you will need the extra gusto — and flexibility and muscles in the right places come in handy (even if you’re a small framed person).
When all is running smoothly, there’s no better time than now to try the Bird of Paradise yoga pose, standing in place. You can do it where you are without a yoga mat.
The pose can sound more complicated than it is. And it’s as easy as it looks, but getting into the pose for the first time, if you’re a newbie, can take a few steps like twisting dough into a pretzel form.
To get in the Bird of Paradise yoga pose on one side, let’s say your right side first…these are the steps:
👣While bending down at your torso, you weave or wrap your right arm under the same side/right leg and then grab behind you, your left hand.
Then without letting go, stand up and lift your right leg straight up. Either let that right bent leg rest on the back of your right arm or aim it up into the air at a pointed 45-degree angle (if you can and wanna show off ;-).
I know it can sound like a game of Twister with yourself, but it’s simpler than the instructions are once you get the hang of it!…
You’re basically hiking that shoulder behind the same side leg — so it can be done in two simple steps. Your leg in the air is more like a front, dangling handbag strap. 👜
I’m not sure what you’re thinking about this pose at this point… hopefully inspired to attempt (and not scary)?
You can do it even if you may have never heard of this Bird of Paradise yoga pose.
If it’s new to you, yoga isn’t quite your thing!, or you’re not a regular yoga class attendee, no need to be intimidated. We all try and then before we know it, we’re doing!
I first learned of the pose when they would teach this one in Hatha yoga classes I attended, or maybe I was just lucky to get a lot of various poses in my classes. Whichever way you first run across this pose (...maybe now?), it’s worth a go…
Besides the stretch benefits, the reason I like the Bird of Paradise yoga pose is it’s a good exercise in not taking yourself too seriously.
…And take off anyway!
When you’re first starting out, you can overthink the pose and not fully get off the floor. Or, you can wobble or fall out of the pose somewhere in the process.
Here’s how you can bypass overthinking the pose… 🧘🏻♀️
You start off standing. Then bending over and taking one arm and threading the same side shoulder underneath the same side knee. Then stand straight up with the entire leg and arm in one fell swoop.
You probably got that part the first time, but where people get hung up (and I know I did in the beginning) is focusing on the arm and leg and how it would finally look instead of just looking straight ahead and trusting all the parts are where they need to be.
…So guess what can happen in overwhelm? Nothing. In my case, I stayed bent over on the ground.
Until I attempted again the next day without giving the pose much thought and looking up slightly, and straight ahead. From there it became easy, breezy, and smooth sailing, as I know it will for you. ⛵️
If you stay in intentional mindfulness, the success rate to bloom is high for your lovely Bird of Paradise. 🦩That’s a good positive booster!
If you think of yourself as the flowering bird of paradise plant in life, 🪷 then you can aspire to achieve this advanced pose more eloquently and efficiently.
Not that getting in any yoga pose faster is better, as the words “quick” and “yoga” don’t mix, but you can stay focused on the pose and bypass confusion as your mind and body think and act in synchrony. Whew… that’s pretty heavy stuff for a yoga pose!
I’ve done the pose in office workplaces wearing stretchy leggings and riding boots and I’m not any superwoman, so I’m sure if you want to, this can be a winner for you too! 😊
Just a few final notes and words of encouragement before I close out here…
If you’re on the computer most of the day, the Bird of Paradise yoga pose is a great shoulder opener. Without awareness, most of us have a habit of leaning forward and caving our bodies inward that isn’t great for our bodies.
Especially by our old age when we need support to balance our bowling ball-like weighted heads (and our shoulders are part of the main muscle group that helps with that cause).
So to counteract or correct bad habit postures, to undo them, bend them in the opposite direction from time to time. That’s a good overall rule of thumb for stretching practices.
And, keep challenging and amusing yourself and others around you with your standing poses like Bird of Paradise, Tree, and Dancer Poses (another favorite pose of mine so you can expect a future post on this one).
Yoga poses are a good reminder to lighten your load and light up your day.
If you are having seasonal internal-body symptoms that are preventing you from doing Bird of Paradise, be sure to check out the Body Balance Quiz to learn more about restoring imbalances.