Padmamayurasana: lotus in the peacock pose

This is my favorite, in that it is one of the easiest of the peacock variations. But it looks awesome! Actually it is far easier than the basic peacock pose... and unless u practice both, u are not going to believe me:)

It is easier because the compact lock of the legs demands less of exertion from gravity. and see how high the legs can go ... this keeps the stomach relaxed, and the pressure on liver and heart is less. This makes breathing easier. In the basic peacock, breath support is often not there, due to the immense squeeze on the diaphragm, the liver .. which passes the pressure on to the heart and lungs. Due to this combined effort, often if you breathe in the basic peacock your wobble on the wrists becomes more, often landing u into a fall!
U can however hold the lotus peacock far longer...

The only problem with this pose is if you fall, breaking your fall with the legs becomes difficult... since they are locked. So strength of the upper back and your arms is crucial to ensure that u can hold on to the pose, with nary a chance of a fall....

Preparation for this pose:

• A strong lotus 
• A strong basic peacock
• Upper back strenghtening poses --eg. inverted - V,  urdhvamukha svanasana (upward facing dog)
• Also, ability to hold the breath comfortably, during pranayama... because in certain poses like this u may have no breath support. 

Remember, arm balancers, esp peacock is regarded as inversion -- in that the benefits and effects (anti-gravity, drag on the face to work all the muscles) are the same as in the inversion.
Also, they are powerful detox poses.
In fact, Sw Nityananda says that prepare for the peacock, your diet must be more sattvic!