Crow Pose (Bakasana)

Pronunciation and meaning

Bakasana: bah-KAHS-uh-nuh. Baka is said with two short, even syllables.

Baka means crane or heron and asana means posture, so it is sometimes called Crane Pose. In English it is usually taught as Crow, with the knees resting high on bent arms and the feet lifted off the floor.

How to do Crow Pose

1. Start in a low squat with your feet a little apart and a folded blanket or a cushion on the mat in front of you, in case you tip forward.
2. Place your hands flat on the mat shoulder-width apart, fingers spread, about a forearm's length in front of your feet.
3. Bend your elbows straight back, not out to the sides, and bring your knees as high as you can onto the backs of the upper arms, toward the armpits.
4. Round your upper back, draw the belly in and look at the floor a little ahead of your hands rather than straight down.
5. Shift your weight forward into the hands until the feet feel light. Lift one foot, then try the other. Stay here for a few breaths, with both toes or one toe still touching down if that is where you are.
6. Come down by lowering the feet slowly back to the mat, then sit back and release the wrists.

Make it easier

• Stand your feet on a block so the hips start higher and the knees reach the arms more easily.
• Always have a cushion or folded blanket under your face while you learn, and practise it with a teacher watching before you try it alone.

Pregnancy and after birth

Pregnancy. Avoid. Crow puts pressure on the belly and carries a real risk of tipping forward, so skip it in pregnancy even if it was part of your practice before. Squatting in Garland Pose with support is a gentler option if your OB or midwife is happy with squats.

After birth. Avoid. Leave Crow out until your doctor or midwife has cleared you, your core and pelvic floor feel strong again, and your wrists are no longer tired from carrying a baby. Then rebuild slowly with blocks under the feet and a teacher beside you.

Expecting or postpartum? See joahnnalee.com for the stage-by-stage guides.

Common mistakes

• Letting the elbows splay out to the sides, so the knees slide down the arms and the shoulders take strain.
• Jumping or hopping the feet up to get airborne. The lift should come from shifting weight, which is controlled and quiet.
• Putting all the weight in the heels of the hands. Grip the floor with the fingertips so you can brake if you tip forward.

Crow is often the first arm balance people try, and the moment the feet lift is a fun one. It is still an arm balance, with a fall forward always possible, so learn it slowly, with padding under your face and a teacher who can spot you.

Vinyasa yoga at your own pace suits it well: the wrists, the core and your nerve all get time to catch up with each other.

Crow is often the first arm balance on the long road to Handstand, which is learned in stages at a wall. The page of arm balance yoga poses in order of difficulty shows what to practise before and after it, and the wider list of advanced yoga poses sets it among the intermediate steps. It is also the one hand balance in the list of balancing poses.

With the legs straightened out wide over the arms, a similar hand balance becomes Firefly Pose, Tittibhasana. Another arm balance built on Crow is Eight Angle Pose, with the legs hooked over one arm.

How do you build up to Crow Pose?

Most people learn Crow in stages. Spend a few sessions on each step before moving on, and keep the cushion in front of you throughout.

1. Squat and round. Sit in Garland Pose for five breaths, then round the back and draw the belly in. This is the shape Crow is held in.
2. Plank to knees-down Chaturanga. Three slow lowers build the strength to hold bent elbows.
3. Feet on a block. Stand on a block, set the hands down and the knees high on the arms, and lean forward until the heels lift. Stay with the toes touching for three breaths.
4. One foot up. From the same set-up, float one foot, then the other, a few centimetres. Lower and switch.
5. Both feet up, briefly. Lift both feet for one breath, then two, then three. Lower with control every time.

How long this takes depends on your strength, your wrists and your nerve. It can be a few weeks or several months, and both are normal.

What is the difference between Crow and Crane?

Many classes use the names Crow and Crane for the same pose. Crow, with bent arms, is the usual starting point.

What if your hands slip?

In a warm, humid room, sweaty palms slide just when you lean forward. Dry the hands and the front of the mat before each attempt, and practise on a mat with a grippy top or a dry towel under the hands only. Never practise on a towel that can slide on the mat.