{"id":54833,"date":"2016-12-23T07:15:36","date_gmt":"2016-12-23T12:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=54833"},"modified":"2016-12-26T10:09:00","modified_gmt":"2016-12-26T15:09:00","slug":"bird-of-paradise-yoga-pose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/db\/bird-of-paradise-yoga-pose\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Master the Bird of Paradise Yoga Pose"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OBPxDYnedFU\" width=\"620\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>With the New Year upon us, it&#8217;s the perfect opportunity\u00a0to learn a <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/yoga-beginners-handstand-clinic-video\/\" target=\"_blank\">challenging yoga pose<\/a> that tests the limits of your athletic abilities. Filled with binds, twists and major body extensions, the Bird of Paradise is a special pose that mimics the hatching of a bird, hence its name. On a deeper level, though, the Bird of Paradise represents renewal and <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/strength-training-range-of-motion\/\" target=\"_blank\">strength<\/a>. And no better time than 2017 to come back stronger than ever, right?<\/p>\n<p>But like a young chick in an egg, you don\u2019t get to paradise in one shot. Allow Gina Turner, yoga instructor and DJ, to break down the challenging asana for us on the set of <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2gTPATV\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Burn 365<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/beginner-yoga-crow-pose\/\" target=\"_blank\">Crow Pose, Made Easy: 3 Steps to Pull It Off<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>7 Steps to\u00a0the Bird of Paradise Yoga Pose<\/h2>\n<h3><strong>1. Mountain Pose <em>(Tadasana)<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As the foundation for the Bird of Paradise, <em>Tadasana<\/em> encourages you to become aware of your <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/breathing-techniques-strength-training\/\" target=\"_blank\">breath<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/tech\/text-neck-posture-exercises\/\" target=\"_blank\">posture<\/a>. But it can also test your focus and ability to stay present. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and keep your hands at your sides, palms facing forward. Take a few inhales and exhales to draw attention to your breath. Don\u2019t round your spine; stand upright with your <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/yoga-shoulder-stretches\/\" target=\"_blank\">shoulders<\/a> back.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2.\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Forward Fold <em>(Uttanasana)<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The forward fold is a great metaphor for reflecting and turning inward. As you <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/best-yoga-stretches\/\" target=\"_blank\">stretch<\/a> your <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/common-stretching-mistakes\/\" target=\"_blank\">hamstrings<\/a> and inner thighs, this pose will help you wake up your joints and loosen your upper body for the side angle poses and binds. Keeping your legs straight, extend your torso forward and reach for your toes or the floor. If you can\u2019t reach them, hold opposite elbows with your hands and just let your neck and head hang.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Triangle Pose <em>(Trikonasana)<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Triangle pose is one of the major progressions of Bird of Paradise because it prepares you for the binds with a deep side stretch and conditions your body for practicing <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/db\/15-minute-leg-workout\/\" target=\"_blank\">balance<\/a>. It also helps up warm up the muscles in your thighs, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/workout-modifications-for-knees\/\" target=\"_blank\">knees<\/a> and ankles. If it\u2019s difficult to touch your ankles on the side bend, grab your shin or calf instead.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/yoga-shoulder-stretches\/\" target=\"_blank\">5 Yoga-Inspired Shoulder Openers<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Bound Triangle Pose <em>(Baddha Trikonasana)<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This pose comes with a special twist: Binding your arms around your front thigh. Because it can be hard to completely wrap your arms, start slow by reaching your arm over your lower back to help <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/yoga-shoulder-stretches\/\" target=\"_blank\">open up the shoulders<\/a> and improve your <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/strength-training-range-of-motion\/\" target=\"_blank\">range of motion<\/a>. You might think, \u201cWhat is the purpose of doing a bind?\u201d In this case, it forces you to stay present when holding a pose.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Squat Hold with Pointed Toe<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Squatting helps you learn how to rely on your arms to provide balance. In this challenging variation, it\u2019s best to open up your shoulders and chest as much as you can to create stability in your upper body. To hold the <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/squat-form-tips-how-low\/\" target=\"_blank\">squat<\/a>, engage your <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/db\/glute-bridges-stronger-butt\/\" target=\"_blank\">glutes<\/a> and slowly sit your hips back and down. Focus on a spot on the floor to help you concentrate.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/strength-training-range-of-motion\/\" target=\"_blank\">Why Range of Motion Matters for Your Strength Training Goals<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>6. Bird of Paradise with a Bent Leg <em>(Svarga Dvidasana I)<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>During this stage of Bird of Paradise, you\u2019ll want to make sure your supporting foot is deeply rooted to provide stability. Spread out your toes on the floor and engage your ankle muscles to keep you grounded.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>7. Bird of Paradise with Full Leg Extension <em>(Svarga Dvidasana II)<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In this final stage, your chest and lower body are fully blossomed. Keep your lifted leg straight and behind your shoulder to help open up your chest. Your supporting foot should be facing forward, and your hamstrings on your extended leg are engaged to help you feel a deep stretch. Be sure to breathe as you hold this pose for at least three counts.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Learn more beginner yoga poses every day on Daily Burn 365. Sign up for a <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2gTPATV\" target=\"_blank\">free 30-day trial<\/a> now! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Filled with binds, twists and major body extensions, the bird of paradise is one of the most challenging yoga poses. We break it down in seven stages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":54846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[300,298,301],"tags":[281,341,355,286],"class_list":["post-54833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-db365","category-db","category-workouts","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2yoga","tag-yoga"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}