How many Yoga asanas are named after birds? Let me name those I know:

1. Eagle
2. Crow
3. Crane
4. Peacock
5. Swan
6. Rooster
7. Pigeon
8. and my personal favorite, Bird of Paradise

Seated Bird of Paradise

When we see birds flying, we take for granted their grace as they glide across the empty sky. What we fail to see is the constant, tiring flapping of their wings when they tread against the gust of wind. We don’t hear them complain about the struggles of flying. And when we see them at rest, they proudly hold their heads up and chests out (unless they’re eating, which is the only time we see them bow down), as if they had not just flown 50 kilometers in the vastness of the sky.

So many of us (myself included) want to be (or at least experience being) free as birds in flight, thinking only of the grace and sophistication of these tireless creatures. We never consider the consequences of being free. Then again, we only want things we think are somehow beneficial. When we truly want something, do we let the negative side effects bother us during the time we struggle to attain it? I guess not. It’s human nature to only want to see the good things. That is why 80% of the time, we plan only positive outcomes. We fail to consider contingencies, especially when it’s only for the mundane occurrences of life like moving across the country for college, or accepting a job half-heartedly, or learning a craft just for the heck of it.

See, unlike birds, most of us humans don’t have clear intentions to justify our actions. We have our selfish, temporary reasons. And when the time comes for us to analyze why we truly want what we want, we cannot give a definitive response, even to ourselves. See, when birds fly south for the winter, they have a reason: SURVIVAL. Humans are more complicated. We are already surviving, yet we want something more. The sad part is, most of the time, we do not know what we want exactly. We just know we want more.

Looking at my life, I guess I already have my little piece of paradise. I have a solid support system in the form of a loving family and a small but reliable set of friends. I have no material need that remains unfulfilled. And I am walking forward with the life I choose. Truly, I have no more wants – except to flap my wings.

Bird of Paradise