What Is the Bird of Paradise Pose (Svarga Dvijasana) In Yoga? Tips, Technique, Correct Form, Benefits and Common Mistakes

The Bird of Paradise pose, also known as Svarga dvijasana in Sanskrit, is a lovely standing balance pose. With one leg on the floor and the other supported by tied arms, it involves lunging outward and upward. The position enhances flexibility and balance.

Svarga in Sanskrit means 'heavenly realm' or 'Paradise', while Dvija means 'twice born'. This stance is so-called, as it's compared to the flower 'Bird of Paradise', which has a long stalk and grows horizontally.

In this stance, the body mimics this flower, with the spread leg representing the petals and the balancing leg representing the stalk.

Once in this position, the body is compared to this flower's beauty. The Svarga Dvijasana is compared to the real living soul, as it requires great effort on the part of the practitioner to achieve the heavenly world.

This pose is regarded as an advanced exercise and calls for a great deal of inner calm as well as physical control and balance.

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How to do Bird of Paradise pose?

You must support your body on one leg while stretching the other leg upwards, to do this pose. To provide support, link your arms over the thighs of the stretched leg. It's quite similar to doing a standing split.

To perform this pose, adhere to the following step-by-step instructions.

• To begin, assume the bound side angle position. Let's say your left leg is extended back; your right leg is bent, and you are looking behind your left shoulder, for the sake of clarity.
• Look down towards your right foot rather than up. Your right hand should firmly grasping the left wrist and your right elbow positioned just below the thigh.
• Slowly advance your left leg, and tie it with your right leg while maintaining the bind. Both your legs should be straight. Maintain this posture for at least three breaths.
• Pulling yourself up while bringing the bound leg up with you requires using your core muscles in conjunction with weight placed on the left leg. Till you discover your balance in this position, keep a knee bent.
• The knee should be stacked on the ankle, and the foot of the balancing leg should be firmly planted on the ground. The quadriceps of both legs should be tightened for stability and support, and the hamstrings of the elevated leg should be pulled in to aid in opening and stretching.
• Stretch your leg straight up in the air after you've achieved your balance. Your toes ought to be relaxed but firmly pointed upward. To maintain balance, place some weight on your left hip, and pay attention to how your hips are aligned with your front.
• Keep your hip forward or at the side of the opposing shoulder. Hold the position for at least five full, deep breaths.
• Bring your stretched leg slowly back down while bending the knee, to exit this position. Release the arm bind as you bend forward, and plant your leg on the floor. Pull yourself to your feet, and strike the Mountain Pose.

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Benefits of performing Bird of Paradise pose

Regularly doing the Bird of Paradise pose has several benefits, such as:

1) Stretches all muscles of body

The gluteus maximus and hip adductors are made more flexible by the deep stretch of the lifted leg.

The lower leg muscles in the leg that balances the body are the calves, and the arms that hold the legs together are the biceps and triceps. The abdominal muscles and core muscles help balance the body. To acquire energy to maintain the body in this pose, all the body's muscles are contracted.

2) Improves lower back flexibility

It opens and clears any stiffness by stretching the body at the hips and maintaining the lower back muscles. With practice, that increases hip flexibility.

Obviously, one needs flexible hips to master this pose. Regular practice while maintaining body awareness helps open the hips deeper for more difficult poses.

3) Reduces Anxiety

Being a standing advanced level balancing pose, it's excellent for people with flexible bodies who need to work on their awareness to relax their minds. If attention and stability are the goals, this pose can be mastered by a generally fit person.

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Tips to remember while doing Bird of Paradise pose

When performing the Bird of Paradise Pose, it's important to keep the following key points in mind:

Don't do it if there's hip, back or shoulder pain

It's advisable to avoid doing this pose if you have any hip, lower back or shoulder ailment, as doing so can only exacerbate your condition.

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Not recommended for people with high blood pressure

Breathing is extremely important in the Bird of Paradise Pose, as it requires more energy from the heart and diaphragm to lift the leg above the hip level. Therefore, if you have high blood pressure, you should look to avoid this stance.