Asana of the Week - Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

(boo-jang-GAHS-anna)
bhujanga = serpent, snake

Cobra Pose is a beginning backbend in yoga that helps to prepare the body for deeper backbends. Cobra is an essential element of Sun Salutation, and is an alternative to practicing Upward-facing dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) in the Sun Salutations sequences.

How to:

1. Lie prone on the floor. Stretch your legs back, tops of the feet on the floor. Spread your hands on the floor under your shoulders. Hug the elbows back into your body.
2. Press the tops of the feet and thighs and the pubis firmly into the floor.
3. On an inhalation, begin to straighten the arms to lift the chest off the floor, going only to the height at which you can maintain a connection through your pubis to your legs. Press the tailbone toward the pubis and lift the pubis toward the navel. Narrow the hip points. Firm but don’t harden the buttocks.
4. Firm the shoulder blades against the back, puffing the side ribs forward. Lift through the top of the sternum but avoid pushing the front ribs forward, which only hardens the lower back. Distribute the backbend evenly throughout the entire spine.
5. Hold the pose anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds, breathing easily. Release back to the floor with an exhalation.

Check Points:

• Are you putting equal pressure on both the palms?
• Keep breathing with awareness, as you curve your spine vertebra by vertebra. If possible, straighten your arms by arching your back as much as possible; tilt your head back and look up.
• Are your shoulders away from your ears? Keep your shoulders relaxed, even if it means bending your elbows. With regular practice, you will be able to deepen the stretch by straightening the elbows.
• Ensure that your feet are still close together. 
• Don’t overdo the stretch or over strain yourself. 
• Breathing out, gently bring your abdomen, chest and head back to the floor.

Contraindications and Cautions:

• Back injury
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Headache
• Pregnancy

Deepen the Pose:

If you have the flexibility in the armpits, chest, and groins you can move into a deeper back bend. Walk the hands a little farther forward and straighten your elbows, turning the arms outward. Lift the top of the sternum straight toward the ceiling.

Beginner's Tip:

Don't overdo the back bend. To find the height at which you can work comfortably and avoid straining your back, take your hands off the floor for a moment, so that the height you find will be through extension.

Benefits:

• Strengthens the spine
• Stretches chest and lungs, shoulders, and abdomen
• Firms the buttocks
• Stimulates abdominal organs
• Helps relieve stress and fatigue
• Opens the heart and lungs
• Soothes sciatica
• Therapeutic for asthma