The first time I ever saw a teacher teach Bird of Paradise in a yoga class I almost thought it was a joke.
Wait, you want me to do a bind, hip opener, and hamstring stretch at the same time AND while standing on one foot?!
I had to apply a serious sense of humor to my practice when I first started working on this pose because there was a lot of falling and feeling more like a bird fall out of itâs nest than a bird in paradise.
The key to teaching this is building each of the components â the hip opening, binding, and balance â throughout your class, and making sure that you offer instruction on a step-by-step entrance into the pose so students can stop along the way. A strap is also hugely helpful!
Puttering/Warm-Up:
- Sukhasana w/ forward fold hip stretch
- Lizard lunge w/ back knee down
- Supported Parsvottanasana (using blocks + back heel up)
- Wide Squat
- Uttanasana (with clasped hand behind the back)
Standing Poses:
- Warrior 2
- Triangle Pose (built from the ground up)
- Extended Side Angle (with hand inside of the ankle)
- Ardha Chandrasana (with half bind in top arm)
Balance Pose:
- Tree Pose (enter from the ground up)
Twist Pose:
- Anjenyasansa twist
Peak Pose: Bird of Paradise
Wind Down Poses:
- Seated Twist
- Baddha Konasana
- Happy Baby
Savasana
Give it a try and let us know how it goes! To catch a few video clips of this sequence in action follow @kate.lombardo and @yogarenewteachertraining on Instagram.
