Backbends are not only great for a healthy spine, but they also help open up the chest and improve posture. One backbend in particular that's beginner-friendly and super-effective is cobra pose (or Bhujangasana in Sanskrit). Here's how to do it properly, as demonstrated by certified yoga instructor and health coach Juanina Kocher.
How to do Cobra Pose, Bhujangasana
- Begin laying on your stomach.
- Bring your hands underneath your shoulders. Pull your elbows in toward your body.
- Keeping your elbows bent, press your feet, legs, and hips into the mat, and lift your chest up on an inhale.
- Soften your shoulders down and back, allowing your chest to open up.
- Exhale and slowly lower back down to the mat.
- Repeat for five breaths, holding the position for a breaths on the last round.
Tips & modifications:
- Use the leverage of your lower body to peel the chest away, as opposed to pushing with your hands.
- When your chest is lifted, try lifting the hands off the mat for a moment to ensure you're engaging the right muscles.
- To make this pose easier, you can place your hands on a chair or bench with the feet on the floor.
- To deepen this backbend, you can bring the hands slightly more forward and straighten the arms.
What are the benefits?
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Enroll now As a gentle backbend, cobra pose is great for strengthening and increasing flexibility in the spine, as well as opening up the chest and shoulders. This makes it effective for improving posture, plus the heart-opening aspect means it's also great for the heart chakra. Through engaging the lower body, Cobra works the glutes, too, and can even help with sciatica.
It may hold some additional health benefits, too. In traditional yogic texts, cobra pose is said to help helps destroy disease in the body, and even awakens kundalini energy. Chiropractor and yoga instructor Emily Kiberd, D.C. notes that, in line with these ancient teachings, many people believe cobra is a good pose for the immune system—it's thought to stimulate the thymus, an organ responsible for the growth of T-cells.
You'll likely wind up doing cobra pose in yoga classes, particularly during sun salutations—but you can also do it anytime you feel the need to stretch your back and open your chest (like after sitting over your computer for hours). Whenever you do decide to do it, expect a nice energy boost and a more flexible spine.
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