Last night was the first time I held this pose, Bird of Paradise. It felt amazing!

My balance is typically not great, but the instructor worked carefully through it and had us try four times on each side. I think the most important thing is a slow pace, a steady gaze on a fixed point and concentrated breathing before you move.

It’s a great hip opener because it stretches your legs and strengthens your abs and both legs. Unlike my sister, who seems to have been born without bones, I’m really really not a flexible person. I can barely keep my legs straight in most poses, pigeon pose is a huge battle, and my hamstrings are tight even after an hour of vinyasa. But this was great flex work and felt like a big accomplishment to pull it off for the first time!

I found this step-by-step video if you’re interested in trying it out.

You start with a lunge, move into extended side angle, then a bind from there. Once you’re comfortably bound, your back leg moves forward to meet the front, so you’re doing sort of a forward fold with a bind. From there, you concentrate on standing up, still binding, grinding your heel into the floor to straighten your spine and balance (that’s the pose on the left in the above picture). Once balanced, you simply flex your leg out and try not to fall on to the person next to you. Easy peasy, right?

Wish I knew who the woman in this photograph was. She’s gorgeous. Send me a comment if you know!