My Motor Moron Movement of the Day: Bird of Paradise

I’m fortunate to be a part of a global community that values the exploration of movement – and I get plenty of “material” to practice on a near daily basis. One word of advice that has stuck with me is to try out one new exercise everyday. Putting myself into the position of student daily is one of the greatest learning tools I’ve ever employed. It requires me to dissect my breathing, movement, and structure in a new way frequently, and it keeps me humble as a coach. I think this practice has an accumulative effect on my ability to learn new skills quickly.

I watched a video tutorial this morning on how to perform the yoga posture, bird of paradise. Here’s my recorded attempt after a few practice tries…

Bird of Paradise via Prasara Yoga

I think the main area I need to work on is lengthening my spine from crown to coccyx. What do you think?

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and Yoga Student

P.S. I think this pose was possible for me because I have been practicing the Forest Flow from the Prasara Yoga Instructional DVD, which involves a lot of single-leg strength and balance.