How to Practice the Cobra Pose

Cobra Pose (bhujangasana) is a back bend that stretches the muscles in the front of the torso, arms, and shoulders. This is the ideal position to increase spinal flexibility, as well as relieve back pain. The cobra pose is often performed in a series of sun salutations.

Table of Contents

Do the cobra pose

Lie on your stomach in the center of the mattress. The backs of the feet are extended straight on the floor, palms facing down at the sides. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Try to touch all ten fingers and ten toes to the floor. In this position the toes are never bent inward.

Use both hands to support the floor. The palms should be slightly below the shoulders so that the fingertips are directly below the shoulder muscles. Extend your fingers and press your palms evenly into the floor. At this point, your body is only a few centimeters off the floor, the spine is still almost straight. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Remember to keep your elbows close to your body, pointing behind you instead of out to your sides.

Push your shoulders back a little — down and away from your ears.

Engage the abdominal muscles by contracting the abdomen. You should use your abs to protect your lower back. Focus on using these muscles throughout the exercise to keep your thighs firmly on the floor while you bend upward.

If you feel your hips lift off the floor, use your abs to push your pelvis down.

Raise yourself into a low cobra by using your back and abs to arch your back. Keeping your hands, hips, and insteps firmly on the floor, begin to lift your upper body. Tilt your chin upward and lift your chest toward the ceiling, as if pointing your heart to the sky. Now your chest is only 20-30 cm from the floor. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Remember: you can use your hands to lift your body, but don’t put too much pressure on your hands. Try to let your back and abs bear most of your body weight.
If you find it uncomfortable to tilt your chin upward, try to keep your neck bones straight and stare at the floor. The head should be relaxed and natural. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Hold this position for 4-5 normal breaths. Try to hold the pose for a full five breaths before gently lowering to the floor or stretching further back. If you feel pain or tightness in your back, stop doing this pose immediately.

Push yourself up a little higher with each exhale. Push back slowly by combining your arms, abs, and back to increase the level of stretch. As you exhale, focus on bending your back a few more centimeters. Control your breathing, stretch for 1-2 breaths and then push back to achieve a higher, more difficult cobra pose.

You may or may not be able to straighten your arms in this pose, depending on your arm length. If your pelvis starts to leave the floor as you straighten your arms, keep your elbows slightly slack. Remember that keeping your lower body still is more important than trying to bend further back.

Transition to cobra pose and vice versa

Start in basic mountain pose with your feet together on the ground. Two hands in front of the heart. Slowly raise your arms above your head and then lower them to the ground as if you were touching your toes. Remember to bend at the hips – you don’t have to touch the ground with your hands.

Place your palms on the ground like you are doing the cobra pose. You can bend your knees if you feel compelled to. Place your palms face down so that your fingers are below your shoulders. Hands should be about shoulder width apart.

Kick your feet back to bring your body into a position similar to a push-up, with your knees flat on the ground. You’ll be in a plank position with your palms at your sides and your feet kicking back. You are now resting on your toes, but you can also skip this step and rest on the instep if your ankle doesn’t hurt. Knees rest on the ground.

Lower your chest to the ground so that your butt is the highest point now. Your body is in a zigzag shape with your feet and chin on the bottom and your butt on top. This pose is just a short transition.

Roll your upper body forward and up, pushing your chin up as your butt and hips drop to the floor. This is the cobra pose — the lower body touches the floor while the back is arched and the head elevated. When you’re done, you’ll be in the cobra pose.

At first, this movement is difficult to do, you just need to practice lowering your buttocks so that your hips are still on the floor. You can then adjust your hands and feet to achieve the cobra pose.

Lower your chest back to the floor to come out of the cobra pose. You will transition into downward facing dog from this position. In short, you will lower yourself so that your whole body is on the floor.

Roll your feet back so you rest on your toes. This pose is very similar to the basic push-up position.

Use both hands to push back and up to move into downward facing dog. First push from the upper body to the knees with the buttocks raised. Then continue the movement until the legs are straight. Palms and soles of feet should be firmly on the floor, buttocks resting high so that your body forms a triangle with the ground.

Keep toes and fingers spread wide, comfortably, so that all fingers can be easily wiggled.
The arms and legs are both straight and only slightly slack at the knees and elbows.

Cobra pose adjustment

Lower your posture. If the cobra pose is difficult to do, you should do it slowly and only slightly arch your back. It’s also perfectly fine to practice in the low cobra position instead of the more difficult high position. Never forcefully arch your back if it feels uncomfortable as this can lead to serious injury. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

If you feel discomfort in your back when placing your palms on the floor, try resting your forearms on the floor with your elbows under your shoulders as in sphinx.
You can also do the standing cobra pose by placing your hands against the wall, pushing them as if you were pushing the floor in a normal cobra pose. Expand your chest and arch your back by pulling your shoulder blades together and tilting your head back slightly. This is a variation suitable for pregnant women.

Adjust to more difficult poses. If the cobra pose is too easy for you, there are a few adjustments you can make to improve your strength, flexibility, and balance.{{whvid|Perform Cobra Pose in Yoga Step 22,360p .mp4|Perform Cobra Pose in Yoga Step 22-preview.jpg|Perform Cobra Pose in Yoga Step 22.jpg|gif=Perform Cobra Pose in Yoga Step 22,360p.gif|giffirst=Perform Cobra Pose in Yoga Step 22,360p.first .gif}

To improve your balance in the cobra pose, bend your right knee and grab your ankle with your right hand like in half frog. Hold for five breaths and repeat on the other side. Use the opposite hand to grasp the ankle to increase the difficulty of the pose.
If you want to arch your back a little more in the cobra pose, place a yoga pillow under your hands.
Raise your hand a few centimeters off the floor to increase balance and engage your back muscles to work more. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

More arched back. Only do more arching if the normal cobra pose is too easy for you and you want more of a challenge. Upside down dog pose is similar to the cobra, but with more arching of the back, because the hips and thighs are raised off the ground, so more weight is placed on the hands. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Many people confuse the cobra pose with the face-up dog pose. Remember that when performing the cobra pose, your hips should be firmly on the floor and your hands should only support minimal weight.
There are many other options for back arching, including wheel pose, bridge pose, camel pose, and more. Choose the pose that works best for you, or try incorporating all of them into your yoga session.

Incorporate the cobra pose into a series of vinyasa poses or sun salutations. Instead of doing the cobra pose alone, you can do it in a series of other poses. This is the practice in most yoga classes.

The vinyasa sequence usually begins with a face-up dog or a cobra, moves up to chaturanga (a yoga push-up) and finally a downward facing dog. This sequence of poses is repeated several times in a row or at different times throughout the lesson. ^{[8] X Research Sources}
There are many different sun salutations, but most involve mountain pose and forward stooping, followed by a series of vinyasa poses. Warrior I, warrior II, and warrior III poses are also common in sun salutations. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Ready

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Make sure that the cobra pose is right for you. You should avoid the cobra pose if you have carpal tunnel syndrome or other wrist injuries, have recently had surgery, or have back problems that are aggravated by bending. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Pregnant women should avoid lying on their stomach in this pose, but you can adjust it by standing with your hands against the wall and flexing your spine similar to how you would in a normal cobra pose.
If you’ve never practiced yoga before, you should talk to your doctor to make sure you’re healthy enough to do yoga, and to discuss any adjustments you plan to make to your poses.

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Wear suitable clothing. You must wear clothes that allow you to move freely and do not distract yourself during exercise.

Prepare a small towel to put under your hands to prevent your hands from slipping on the mattress when you start to sweat.

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Find a comfortable space. If you practice yoga outside of class, find a quiet place free of distractions. The place should have enough space to spread out the yoga mat and be able to stretch your arms in all directions without touching anything.

Start slowly. You can perform the cobra pose to different levels depending on the flexibility of the spine. No matter how flexible you are, just start gently arching your back to warm up.

Make sure not to exceed your limits and try to avoid comparing yourself to others in order to get the most benefit and avoid injury.
If you’re taking a yoga class, perhaps your instructor will let you do “low cobra” or “baby cobra” first, and then will allow you to do “high cobra” if they deem appropriate. This slow progression aims to warm up your spine.

Advice

Never force yourself to arch your back to the point of discomfort. To avoid excessive arching, use only your hands to support your body, and not bend too much backward.
Remember to push your hips to the floor in the cobra pose. If your hips are off the floor, you’re in the same position as the face-up dog.
Always try to keep your shoulders low and away from your ears.
If done correctly you should not feel any pressure in your lower back while bending your back. If you feel pressure in your lower back, reduce your back curvature immediately.

Steps

Do the cobra pose

Transition to cobra pose and vice versa

Cobra pose adjustment

Ready

Advice

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