Physical forces are governed by the force of gravity, whilst the effect of the ether is to permeate this physical body with weightlessness, movement and levitation. The ether forces therefore oppose the physical body because they encourage the spine, for example, to straighten up elegantly against the earth’s gravitational pull.
In māyūrāsana the body must be brought into a daring balance by moving far out forwards and lifting the head, so that gravity does not pull the legs too far downwards. For moments the practitioner can experience the ether forces in this balance. If he succeeds in distributing the body weight well, with the head placed far out in front, the legs rise up relatively easily.
The erect peacock puts the balance at great risk. For moments the practitioner succeeds in shedding the heaviness of the body and fluidly entering into the movement-form that lifts it up.
This peacock position is demonstrated with the legs lifted relatively high as in these variations it is easier to experience gravity being overcome. The basic position of the peacock suggests a very clear horizontal stretch into one plane. However this does not so easily allow the dimension of etheric activity to be brought to experience as it can only be accomplished with a very strong use of physical strength.
A special variation of the peacock is the peacock in lotus, which demands less use of strength than the basic pose.