Mayūrāsana () or Peacock pose is a hand-balancing

asana An āsana (Sanskrit: आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and late ...

hatha yoga Hatha yoga (; Sanskrit हठयोग, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''haṭhayoga'') is a branch of yoga that uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word ह� ...

and modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of asana, postures, often connected by vinyasa, flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by pranayama, breathing exercises, and frequently ending with savasana, relaxation lying down or ...

with the body held horizontal over the hands. It is one of the oldest non-seated asanas, described in the 10th century.

Etymology and origins

The name comes from the Sanskrit words () meaning "

peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

" and () meaning "posture". Mayurasana is one of the oldest non-seated

s used in

; it is first described in the 10th century '' Vimānārcanākalpa''. The '' Vāsiṣṭha Saṁhitā'' 1.76-7 states that it destroys all sins. File:Nath yogi in Mayurasana peacock pose.jpg, Mural depicting a

Nath Natha, also called Nath (), are a Shaivism, Shaiva sub-tradition within Hinduism in India and Nepal. A medieval movement, it combined ideas from Buddhism, Shaivism, Tantra and Yoga traditions of the Indian subcontinent.

yogi in Mayurasana at the Mahamandir temple,

Jodhpur Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...

, India, c. 1810

Description

In this asana the body is raised like a horizontal stick holding the floor with both palms while the body is supported by the elbows.

Variations

Hamsasana (Swan Pose) is identical to Mayurasana except that the hands are placed with the fingers pointing forwards. Padma Mayurasana (Lotus in Peacock Pose) has the legs crossed as in

Lotus Position Lotus position or Padmasana () is a cross-legged sitting meditation posture, meditation pose from History of India, ancient India, in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh. It is an ancient asana in yoga, predating hatha yoga, and ...

. File:Padam Mayur asana.jpg, Padma Mayurasana

References

Sources

External links