Category: Backbends
Level: beginner
Hold: 3–5 breaths
Type: Asana
Breath: Inhale to lift the chest, breathe evenly while holding, exhale to lower.

Cobra Pose

Bhujangasana — "serpent posture"

A gentle prone backbend where the chest lifts and the legs stay grounded. Cobra is the everyday backbend most people meet first, and it rewards patience more than height.

Step by step

1Lie on your belly with your legs extended, tops of the feet pressing into the mat.
2Place your palms under your shoulders, elbows tucked in close to your ribs.
3Press the tops of your feet and your pubic bone gently into the floor.
4On an inhale, lift your chest, leading with the breastbone rather than the chin.
5Keep your elbows bent and your shoulders drawing down away from your ears.
6Rise only as high as you can without pushing hard into the hands, then breathe steadily.
7On an exhale, lower back down and rest your forehead on the mat.

Benefits

✓ Strengthens the muscles along the spine
✓ Opens the chest and the front of the shoulders
✓ Stretches the abdomen and hip flexors
✓ Counteracts long stretches of sitting or slouching

Make it yours

· Practice Sphinx Pose (forearms down) for a gentler version with no wrist load
· Keep the elbows deeply bent and the chest low — 'baby cobra' — to build back strength first
· Take the hands slightly wider than the mat to give the shoulders more room

Take care

Take care or skip this pose with a recent back injury or ongoing lower-back pain
Avoid prone backbends during pregnancy
Ease off if you have wrist discomfort — keep the arms more bent or try Sphinx instead

This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.

Practiced in

Props that help here

Cork blocks (set of 2) — Bring the floor closer in lunges, folds, and triangle — and a block between the shoulder blades turns a backbend into something you can hold. find one
Bolster — The single best restorative purchase. Under the knees, under the spine, or lengthwise under the back to open a gentle supported backbend. find one

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