Perform Cobra Pose in Yoga

Cobra pose, or bhujangasana, is a back bend that stretches the muscles in the front of the torso, the arms, and the shoulders. It is an excellent pose for increasing the flexibility of the spine, as well as reducing back pain. Cobra pose is often performed as part of the sun salutation sequence of a yoga routine.

Steps

Performing the Pose

1. Lie face down and centered on your mat. The tops of your feet should be flat on the floor, and your hands palms down to either side of you.
   • Try to make sure all ten of your fingers and all ten of your toes are pressing into the floor. Your toes should never be tucked under you for this pose.
2. Press into the floor with both hands. You want your palms slightly lower than your shoulder, so that the tips of your finger are roughly right below your shoulder muscles. Spread your fingers and press your palms into the floor evenly. You'll be only a few inches off the floor at this point, your spine still mostly straight.
   • Be sure to keep your elbows close to your body, pointing behind you instead of out to the sides.
3. Pull your shoulders slightly back -- down and away from your ears.
4. Engage your abs by drawing your belly button toward your spine. You want to engage your abs to protect your lower back. Focus on keeping these muscles engaged throughout the exercise -- this will keep your thighs firmly on the ground as you bend upwards.
   • If you feel your hips lifting up from the floor, use your abs to push your pelvis back towards the floor.
5. Lift into a low cobra pose by using your back and abdominal muscles to bend your back backwards. Keeping your hands, your hips, and the tops of your feet firmly planted on the floor, begin to lift your upper torso. Tilt your chin upward and lift your chest toward the ceiling, as if exposing your heart to the sky. Right now your chest should only be 8-12" from the floor.
   • Remember: you can use your hands for support, but don't put too much pressure in them yet. Try to let your back and abs do most of the work to lift you.
   • If it feels uncomfortable to tilt your chin up, try keeping your neck straight and gazing at the floor. Your head should be relaxed and comfortable.
6. Hold the pose for 4-5 full, comfortable breathes. Try to hold cobra pose for five full breaths before gently releasing to the floor or stretching back further. If you start to feel pain or tightness in your back, release the pose immediately.
7. Push yourself a little higher with each exhale. Push back slowly, using your arms, abs, and back together to deepen the stretch. As you exhale, focus on bending back just a few more centimeters. Control your breathing, stretch for 1-2 breaths, then keep pushing back to get a higher, more advanced cobra pose.
   • You may or may not be able to straighten your arms in this pose, depending on how long your arms are. If your pelvis begins to lift off the floor when you straighten your arms, keep a slight bend in your elbows. Remember-- keeping your lower body still is more important than going back further.
8. Remember that proper form is more important that a deep stretch. The better your form, the healthier and more beneficial the pose will be. Watch the attached videos, focusing on how each muscle and joint seems both relaxed and in line, not wildly splayed out. To review, you should:
   • Keep the tops of your feet, thighs, hips, and palms firmly on the floor at all times.
   • Keep your shoulders down and back, away from your ears.
   • Your fingers and toes should be splayed for balance, but still light and loose -- you should be able to freely wiggle every digit.
   • Move slowly, taking deep, controlled breathes.
   • Focus on a solid core, contracting your abdominal muscles to help move.

Transitioning To and From Cobra

1. Start with a basic mountain pose, with your feet close together on the ground. Your hands will be by your heart. Slowly bring them up above your head, then drop them down to the ground, as if you were touching your toes. Remember to bend from your hips -- it is okay if you can't touch the ground yet.
2. Place both palms on the ground, as if you were doing cobra. You can bend your knees if you must. You want your palms down so that your fingers are under your shoulders. Your hands should be roughly shoulder-width apart.
3. Kick back both feet, putting you in a near push-up position with your knees on the ground. You'll be in a plank, with both palms at your sides and your feet kicked back. You should be resting on your toes, but you can also skip ahead and rest on the tops of your feet if it doesn't hurt your ankles. Your knees should be on the ground.
4. Lower your chest to the ground, leaving your butt the highest point up. You'll form a little zig-zag, with your feet and chin down low and your butt in the air. This position is just a quick, transitory position.
5. Roll your upper body forward and up, pulling your chin up as your butt and hips lower to the floor. This is the cobra movement -- your lower body will hit the floor as your back bends and your head comes up. When finished, you should be in a cobra pose.
   • If this motion is hard at first, Just work on dropping your butt down so that your hips are on the floor. You can then adjust your hands and feet so that you're in cobra.
6. Lower your chest back down to the floor to exit cobra. You'll generally be transitioning into downward dog from here. Lower down so that, briefly, your entire body is lying on the floor.
7. Roll your feet back so that you are on your toes. This will feel very similar to a basic push-u position.
8. Push backwards and up off your hands to enter downward dog. Push up first to your knees, with your butt high. Then keep moving until your legs are straight. Your palms and soles of your feet should be planted firmly on the ground, your butt in the air, so that you from a triangle with the ground.
   • Keep your toes and fingers splayed and comfortable. You should be able to wiggle all twenty digits.
   • You arms and legs should all be straight, with only a slight bend in the knees and elbows.

Modifying the Pose

1. Keep it low. If cobra pose is challenging for you, take it slow and bend your back very gently. It is perfectly fine to stay in a very low cobra pose instead of advancing to a high cobra. You should never force your back to bend if it is not comfortable, as this can lead to serious injury.
   • If you feel discomfort in your back when your palms are on the floor, try resting your forearms on the floor with your elbows under your shoulders for sphinx pose.
   • You can also perform cobra pose standing up by placing your hands against a wall and pushing them down, just as you would push against the floor in a traditional cobra. Open your chest and arch your back by drawing your shoulder blades towards each other and tilting your head slightly back. This is a great variation to choose if you are pregnant.
2. Make the pose more challenging. If cobra pose is easy for you, you can continue to improve your strength, flexibility, and balance by adding new variations to the pose.
   • To challenge your balance while in cobra pose, bend your right knee and grab your ankle with your right hand for half frog pose. Hold for five breaths, relax, and repeat on the other side. Grab for your ankle with your opposite hand for an even greater challenge.
   • If you want to get a slightly deeper back bend in cobra pose, try placing yoga blocks under your hands.
   • Lift your hands a few inches off the floor in order to challenge your balance and further engage the muscles in your back.
3. Choose a deeper back bend. Only progress to a deeper back bend if cobra pose is easy for you and you are looking for something more challenging. Do-the-Upward-Facing-Dog-Pose is similar to cobra pose, but offers a deeper back bend because the hips and upper legs are lifted off of the ground and more weight is placed in the hands.
   • Many people confuse cobra pose and upward facing dog. Remember, if you are doing cobra pose, your hips should be planted firmly on the ground and there should be minimal weight in your hands.
   • There are lots of other great choices for back bends too, including Do-the-Wheel-Pose-(Chakrasan), Perform-the-Bridge-Exercise, and Do-a-Yoga-Camel-Pose, just to name a few. Choose the one that works best for you, or try incorporating all of them into your yoga practice.
4. Incorporate cobra pose into other vinyasa flows or sun salutations. Instead of practicing cobra pose in isolation, practice it as part of a sequence of poses. This is the way you will practice cobra pose in most yoga classes.
   • A vinyasa flow typically involves a transition from upward facing dog or cobra pose to chaturanga, which is a yoga push up, and finally to Perform-Downward-Facing-Dog-in-Yoga. This sequence may be repeated multiple times in a row or at many different times throughout class.
   • There are many different sun salutations, but most involve Do-a-Mountain-Pose-in-Yoga and a standing forward bend, followed by a vinyasa flow. Do-the-Warrior-Pose-in-Yoga, Do-the-Warrior-II-Pose-in-Yoga, and Do-Warrior-III-in-Yoga poses are common in sun salutations as well.

Getting Ready

1. Make sure cobra pose is right for you. You should avoid cobra pose if you have carpal tunnel syndrome or other wrist injuries, if you have recently had surgery, or if you have back problems that are irritated by bending.
   • If you are pregnant, you should avoid lying on your stomach for this pose, but you can modify the pose by standing up with your hands against a wall and bending your spine the same way you would for the traditional version of the pose.
   • If you have never practiced yoga before, talk to your doctor to make sure you are healthy enough to begin a yoga practice and to discuss any modifications you should make to your practice.
2. Dress appropriately. Make sure you wear clothes that will allow you to move freely and will not distract you during your yoga practice.
   • You may want to have a small towel to place under your hands to prevent them from slipping on your mat if you begin to sweat.
3. Find a comfortable space. If you are practicing outside of a yoga class, try to find a quiet space that is free from distractions for your yoga practice. You should have enough room to lay out your yoga mat and extend your arms in all directions without hitting anything.
4. Start slowly. You can take cobra pose to a few different levels, depending on the flexibility of your spine. No matter how flexible you are, start off with a gentle back bend to get your body warmed up.
   • Make sure to stick to your own limits and try not to compare yourself to others in order to get the most out of your practice and avoid injury.
   • If you are taking a yoga class, your instructor will probably have you do a "low cobra" or "baby cobra" at the beginning, and will later allow you to work up to a "high cobra" pose if this works for you. This progression allows you to slowly warm up your spine.

Tips

• Never force your back to bend more than is comfortable. In order to avoid over-bending, try to use your hands only to support the pose, and not to create a deeper bend.
• Remember to keep your hips pushing into the ground during cobra pose. If your hips are lifting, you may be in a pose more similar to upward facing dog.
• Try to always keep your shoulders down, away from your ears.
• You should never feel any pressure in your low back during a back bend. If you do, reduce the bend in your back right away.

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Sources and Citations

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