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Berthelot’s pipit (Anthus berthelotii)

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Hello everyone!

I hope all is well on your side!

September is already here… it feels like summer just flew by 😵‍💫

If you’ve been following me for a while, you may know that alongside my work as an illustrator, a new string is slowly being added to my bow: yoga. It’s a practice that supports me every day, and one that I’m soon about to start teaching myself (beginning with free classes in Amsterdam!).

For this issue of Berthelot, I wanted to bring my two worlds together: bird illustration and yoga.

I hope you’ll enjoy this special edition! 🤩

Yoga and Biomimicry

Biomimicry is about observing nature and drawing inspiration from its shapes, behaviors, and systems to create solutions that help us in daily life. Engineers, for instance, study the aerodynamics of bird wings to improve airplanes, or the structure of lotus leaves to invent self-cleaning fabrics. Nature becomes a living library of wisdom and ingenuity.

Yoga follows a similar approach. For thousands of years, yogis have observed animals and imitated their postures to awaken specific qualities within us: when we take the form of a tree, we cultivate grounding and stability; when we embody the cobra, we awaken energy.

And among all animals, birds hold a special place: they embody flight, freedom, and the ability to see from above. Bird-inspired yoga postures invite us to find lightness in effort, to rise while staying rooted.

So I’ve gathered here the main bird postures from the world of yoga—along with their origins, their benefits, and the images they evoke!

Be warned: most of them are real challenges!

🐦 The Yogic Aviary – Bird Poses

🦅 Garuḍāsana – Eagle Pose

• Origin of the name: Garuḍa is the mythical bird who served as Vishnu’s mount, symbol of strength and sharp vision.

• Benefits: improves balance, strengthens ankles and thighs, opens the shoulders, sharpens concentration.

• Image: like the eagle, we fold our wings inward in order to soar higher.

🐦 Bakāsana / Kākāsana – Crane Pose / Crow Pose

• Origin of the name: baka = crane, kāka = crow. Two arm-balance variations.

• Benefits: strengthens arms, wrists, and core; helps us tame the fear of falling.

• Image: a small bird tipping forward, light yet firmly grounded.

Note: Crow Pose is very similar, but the knees rest on the elbows with bent arms. For Crane Pose, the arms are straight and the knees are tucked up toward the armpits!

🦚 Mayūrāsana – Peacock Pose

• Origin of the name: mayūra = peacock, symbol of beauty and purification.

• Benefits: strengthens wrists and abs, stimulates digestion, builds confidence.

• Image: the body extends like the peacock’s proud and majestic tail.

Note: there’s also 🦚 Piñcha Mayūrāsana – Feathered Peacock Pose (forearm balance). It builds confidence and shifts perspective by turning the world upside down.

🕊️ Kapotāsana / Rāja Kapotāsana – Pigeon Pose / King Pigeon Pose

Two variations, but with very similar benefits: lifting the chest to open the heart.

• Origin of the name: kapota = pigeon, humble bird of temples and city squares, messenger of peace.

• Benefits: opens the hips, lengthens the back, releases emotional tension.

• Image: the pigeon grounds itself into the earth while the heart reaches up to the sky.

🦢 Haṁsāsana – Swan Pose

• Origin of the name: haṁsa = swan, associated with purity and the universal soul.

• Benefits: strengthens the arms, stimulates digestion, brings grace and fluidity.

• Image: the swan’s long neck inspires dignity within effort.

🐓 Kukkutāsana – Rooster Pose

• Origin of the name: kukkuta = rooster. A seated meditation lifted on the arms.

• Benefits: strengthens arms, opens hips, develops inner power.

• Image: proud and steady like the rooster crowing at dawn.

Conclusion

These bird poses in yoga are more than poetic names: each invites us to embody a special quality. Strength, balance, lightness, openness… they all add feathers to our practice and to the way we see nature.

And you—what bird would you like to become on the mat? 🐦✨

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this issue.

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See you soon ☀️

For any remarks or suggestions, feel free to write me at: plantinemma@gmail.com

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