Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
Bhujanga means serpent and asana means posture. The chest rises from the floor the way a cobra lifts its hood, while the legs stay long behind like its tail.
At a glance
- Sanskrit name
- Bhujangasana
- Pronunciation
- boo-jung-GAHS-uh-nuh. The stress falls on the third syllable, GAHS.
- Family
- Backbends
- Practised in
- Vinyasa yoga
- In pregnancy
- Avoid
- After birth
- Adapt
Cobra is often the first backbend people learn, and in a Vinyasa class it turns up inside the Sun Salutation. Done low and slow, it teaches the upper back to share a movement the lower back would happily take over on its own.
In private Vinyasa lessons I keep Cobra low at first, so the upper back learns its share before the chest rises any higher.
When Cobra feels easy and the shoulders stay down, Upward-Facing Dog, the straight-arm version is the next step in a flow.
How to do Cobra Pose
Lie on your belly with your legs straight back, hip-width apart, and the tops of the feet pressing into the mat.
Place your hands flat under your shoulders, fingers pointing forward, and hug the elbows in against your ribs.
Press the pubic bone and the tops of the feet down, and reach the tailbone toward your heels to lengthen the lower back.
On an inhale, lift the forehead and then the chest, using the muscles of your back first and your hands only lightly.
Keep the elbows bent, the shoulders drawing down and back, and the neck long with the gaze forward or slightly down.
Hold for three to five breaths, then lower down slowly on an exhale and rest one cheek on the mat.
My cues
- Try lifting your hands an inch off the floor for a moment. Whatever height you can keep is the real height of your cobra.
- Drag the palms back toward your hips without letting them slide. It draws the chest forward and the shoulders away from the ears.
- Spread the backbend through the whole spine. If the lower back is doing all of it, come down a little.
Modifications
- Baby Cobra: stay low, with only the upper chest lifted and the lower ribs on the floor.
- Sphinx Pose: rest on your forearms with the elbows under the shoulders for a gentler, supported version.
- Place a folded blanket under the hips if the hip bones press uncomfortably into the floor.
- Widen the legs a little if the lower back pinches.
In pregnancy. Avoid. Lying on the belly and pressing into it is not suitable during pregnancy. A gentle backbend on hands and knees, such as the Cow half of Cat-Cow, is a kinder substitute. Check with your OB or midwife before you start.
After birth. Adapt. Wait for your doctor or midwife to clear you, and longer after a caesarean birth. Begin with Sphinx or Baby Cobra, keep the lift small, and come down if you feel strain across the belly or the scar.
Common mistakes
- Straightening the arms and hanging in the lower back, which crunches the lumbar spine.
- Shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears.
- Cranking the head back to look at the ceiling.
- Letting the elbows flare out wide to the sides.
- Clenching the buttocks hard, which can pinch the lower back.
Pairs well with
- Sphinx PoseSalamba Bhujangasana
- Child's PoseBalasana
- Downward-Facing DogAdho Mukha Svanasana