Ardha Pincha Mayurasana
ajna chakra

Third-Eye Chakra (Ajna)

Manipura min - YogPlan

Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura)

Intermidate

Ardha Pincha Mayurasana

Dolphin Pose

(ar-da-pin-cha-ma-yu-ra-sun)

Meaning: ardha=half / pincha = feathers / mayura = peacock

Table of content

Preparation

Sit in Vajrasana, then come into tabletop position – hands shoulder-distance apart, knees together, feet together. Inhale, exhale, and relax.

Getting into position

Spread and activate your fingers. Place your toes on the floor. Inhale. Exhaling, lower your elbows to the floor, under the shoulders, forearms parallel. Inhale. Exhaling, slowly lift knees up, straighten your legs, and press the heels down to the floor. Flatten the shoulder blades and press shoulders away from your ears. Raise hips up, keep spine straight, and keep your arms and spine as much in alignment as possible (head between upper arms). Use elbows to push torso back toward your heels and to raise hips up. Hold for a few moments to allow the body to adjust. Inhale. Exhaling, stretch farther. Hold with normal breathing for around 30 seconds.

Coming out of position

Slightly relax the body. Exhale. Inhaling, raise hips up slightly. Exhaling, lower your knees back down. Inhaling, straighten your arms back up to tabletop position, then sit back into Vajrasana. Inhale, exhale, and relax.

Tips

  • Be careful with any excess shoulder pressure. When first practicing this pose, try to find what shoulder position feels stable and comfortable.
  • To take excess pressure off the shoulders, try to move your body weight onto the heels and away from your shoulders.
  • If you need, separate your feet slightly, and keep the feet parallel to each other.

Reproductive Health:

Awareness Spiritual:

Precautions

Avoid

If you have chronic/serious shoulder or back problems.

Be careful

if you have hamstring, neck, or shoulder issues, diarrhea, high blood pressure, heart disease, or headache/migraine.

Benefits

General

  • Stretches buttocks, hamstrings, calf muscles, Achille’s tendon (back of ankles).
  • Strengthens arms, shoulders (especially), abdominal muscles, hip flexors, front thighs, front of ankles.
  • Improves blood flow to the spine, head, and brain.
  • Stimulates the nervous system.
  • Improves alertness/wakefulness, digestion, and flat feet.
  • Relieves stiffness in shoulder blades and heels, fatigue in back and legs, headache, insomnia, mental fatigue, symptoms of menopause, menstrual discomfort.

Therapeutic

Helps with asthma, sciatic nerve issues, and sinusitis.

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