AYGMyJune2015

Vrksasana

modifications

page 69

Svarga Dvijasana

prep page 70 Svarga Dvijasana

Vrksasana

72 page 68

may/june 2015

yogajournal.com.au

yogapedia

practise well

svarga = paradise · dvija = twice born · asana = pose

Bird of Paradise Pose

Svarga Dvijasana

(^4) Open the chest and extend the lifted leg to the side, being
careful not to swing the supporting hip out to the side. You’re
aiming to find stability and ease in equal measure. Open your
chest proudly, engaging the muscles across your back to hold
your heart high. If you start to teeter, revert to a bent left leg
and regain stability in the right leg by pressing evenly into all
four corners of the standing foot and visualising a line down
the middle of the body that you’re hugging into.
(^5) Fix the drishti straight ahead or over the right shoulder and
stay for 5-10 deep breaths, embodying the beauty, stability and
vibrancy of the Bird of Paradise flower.
Stay safe
If the central axis of the body becomes displaced,
you may compromise the knee and hip joints.
Aim to keep the supporting foot facing forward,
toes spread, with the knee over the ankle, and the
supporting hip plugged into the midline. Keep the
quadriceps on both legs contracted, allowing the
standing leg to support you more fully and the
hamstrings on the extended leg to open further
without strain.
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yj43_68-72_pose of the month_270.indd 72 31/03/2015 11:06 am