Pose library · Bhujangasana · reviewed by a teacher
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.
Pronunciation and meaning
Bhujangasana: boo-jung-GAHS-uh-nuh. The stress falls on the third syllable, GAHS.
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.
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.
Teacher's note from Joahnna Lee
“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.”
Make it easier
- 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.
Pregnancy and after birth
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.
See prenatal yoga notes by trimester before you adapt a pose.
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.
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 Vinyasa yoga it helps to keep Cobra low at first, so the upper back learns its share before the chest rises any higher. To practise it inside the flow at a steady pace, try the sun salutation timer.
When Cobra feels easy and the shoulders stay down, Upward-Facing Dog, the straight-arm version is the next step in a flow. Cobra opens the list of backbend yoga poses, from gentle to deep.
Holding the ankles and lifting the thighs too turns a belly-down backbend into Bow Pose, Dhanurasana. With the hands off the floor, the same back muscles do all the work in Locust Pose, the belly-down strengthener.
Cobra Pose questions
What is the difference between Cobra and Upward-Facing Dog?
In Cobra the hips and thighs stay on the floor and the elbows usually stay bent. In Upward-Facing Dog the arms straighten and the thighs and knees lift off the mat, so only the hands and the tops of the feet touch the floor.
Why does cobra pose hurt my lower back?
Usually the lift is too high and the arms are doing the work, so the bend collects in the lower back. Come down lower, lengthen the tailbone toward the heels and let the upper back lift. If it still hurts, stop and ask your doctor about it.
How high should you lift in Cobra Pose?
Only as high as your back muscles can lift you with very little weight in the hands. Test by hovering the palms off the floor for a breath; if you drop, you were pushing with the arms. Baby Cobra, with the lower ribs still on the mat, is a full pose in its own right, not a lesser one.
Should your elbows be bent in Cobra Pose?
Yes, keep them softly bent and drawing back towards the ribs, with the shoulders moving away from the ears. Straightening the arms fully turns the shape into a deeper backbend closer to Upward-Facing Dog, which tends to crowd the lower back if the upper back is not ready.
Is Cobra Pose good for beginners?
Yes, in its low form. Baby Cobra and Sphinx, resting on the forearms, are gentle ways to learn a backbend. Keep the legs long and the tops of the feet pressing down, lift slowly, and come down if you feel pinching in the lower back.