Pose library · Bakasana · reviewed by a teacher
Crow Pose (Bakasana)
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.
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
- 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.
- Place your hands flat on the mat shoulder-width apart, fingers spread, about a forearm's length in front of your feet.
- 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.
- Round your upper back, draw the belly in and look at the floor a little ahead of your hands rather than straight down.
- 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.
- Come down by lowering the feet slowly back to the mat, then sit back and release the wrists.
Teacher's note from Joahnna Lee
“Lean forward further than feels sensible. Crow is a balance of weight, not a lift of strength, and the feet only rise once the shoulders pass over the hands.”
“Squeeze the knees into the arms and the arms back into the knees. That hug is what holds you up.”
“Keep the gaze forward on the floor. When you look back at your feet, your head drops and the balance goes with it.”
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 among the balancing yoga 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.
Crow Pose questions
Why can't I lift my feet in Crow Pose?
Usually because the weight is still back over the feet. Bring the hips higher, set the knees further up the arms, and lean the shoulders forward past the wrists.
Is Crow Pose safe for beginners?
The preparation is, with a cushion in front and a teacher nearby. Beginners should build wrist and core strength first and think of the lift as something that comes later, never something to force.