Posture of the month: Svarga Dvijasana (Bird of Paradise Pose)
In May, we will practice Svarga Dwijasana as our Posture of the Month.
Svarga Dwijasana in English is referred to as ‘Bird of Paradise’ Pose' (from Svarga: heaven; Dwija: twice born and asana: posture). Why ‘twice born’ you ask? Because a bird, quite literally, is born twice: Once, as an egg, and a second time upon hatching.
According to different sources, ‘Bird of Paradise’ can refer to the actual animal, native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and our Australian East Coast. Or to the beautiful tropical flower of the same name. Either way, it evokes a sense of rare beauty and elegance.
The benefits of practicing the Bird of Paradise
As a yoga pose, Svarga Dwijasana is at the same time a hip opener, heart opener and balancing pose - not an easy feat to master! It requires consistency and the willingness to fail and try again, but once you achieve a sense of real balance, it is an exquisite blend of open-heart vulnerability and strength. In addition, you can expect the following benefits:
It opens and stretches your shoulders and chest
It stretches your hamstrings and opens your groins
It engages and thereby strengthens your core, working your obliques, abdominals and back muscles
Extends your spine, which is especially important for those of us who sit on a desk all day long
Through balancing, you also strengthen your leg muscles and feet
The conscious breath required to balance well works your diaphragm muscles, which helps expand your lungs
Heightens your sense of awareness and increases your flexibility
When practiced successfully, it evokes a sense of elegance and grace
Spiritual Context + Chakra Benefits
Author Ashish from Fitsri points out the deeper meaning behind this pose: It “lets you experience the depth of heaven (Svarga) and totally newborn energy (Dvij) in the body by activating Kundalini at your Root Chakra (Muladhara) and creative force at Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana). Spiritually speaking, you will experience the intensity of heaven and create a deep connection to the divine by standing tall in this pose.”
As pointed out, both your Root- and Sacral Chakras benefit from the practice of Svarga Dwijasana, which provides a unique blend of ‘standing within yourself and your truth’ energy, and a connection to your feelings, emotions, pleasure and creativity. Heightened sensitivity and in-tune-ness with yourself, paired with a healthy sense of grounded-ness!
So are you ready to learn Svarga Dwijasana? Then come along to Flex regularly and practice with us! There are over 25 classes/week, and we will practice it daily during all of May 2023!
This month, we thank Ashish from Fitsri and Doreen from TintYoga for their insightful articles on the topic!