How to Do a Crow Pose

Bakasana, or crow pose, is an arm balance where you will balance on your hands and have the legs resting on the upper arms. This challenging pose requires upper body and core abdominal strength. It is heating and strength building. It also requires flexibility in the upper back and hips.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Yoga mat

How to Do Crow Pose in Yoga

1. Use 3 or 4 preparation poses to help you create the hip and shoulder flexibility and build core and upper-body strength needed. Start with a hip opener called Thread the Needle. Lie flat on your back with both knees bent and feet off the floor. Cross the right ankle over the left leg. Flex the right heel. Thread your right hand through the opening formed by your legs and place it behind the left thigh. Take your left hand behind the left thigh and interlace the hands. Lie back so that the entire spine and the head is on the floor. Let the back of the right hip drop down. Remain in the pose for several breaths and repeat for the left leg.

2. Next is reverse table to increase flexibility in the chest and upper back. Sit on your mat with both knees bent and feet on the floor hips-width distance apart. Place your hands behind you so that the fingertips face away from you. Press into the palms and lift your hips off the mat. Your body is now in a table top position with the chest, belly and hips in the same line. Lower down to rest sitting on the hips. Repeat 2 to 3 times.

3. For core and upper body strength, use plank pose. Come to hands and knees so the shoulders are over the wrists and hips over the ankles. Curl the toes under and step the feet back so that your body is in a push up position. Press the palms into the floor as you engage the core abdominals into the belly. Bring the shoulder blades flat onto the back. Press the heels back so that your chest, belly or legs are not sagging towards the floor. Rest on hands and knees. Repeat 2 to 3 times.

4. Move into downward-facing dog to build more upper-body strength. From plank pose, curl the toes under and step the feet back until you can extend the legs to straight. Your body will look like a large inverted V, with the hips being the highest point of the pose. In this case, draw the hips even further back until your legs are straight. Remain for several breaths. Lower the knees down to rest. Repeat 2 to 3 times.

5. Malasana is where you put all your work together before lifting up to crow pose. Squat on the floor so that your feet are hips-width distance apart and your knees are in line with your ankles. Place your elbows inside the inner knees and place the palms of the hands together in a "prayer" position. Press into the feet and palms as you gently move your inner knees apart. For Crow pose, place your hands flat in front of you on the floor and move the arms so that the upper arms, triceps, are in front of the shins. Practice lifting first one foot and lowering it and then the other. To float your crow pose, press the hands down and lift both feet off the mat, engaging your core abdominals. Lift the head to not roll forward. To exit, lower the feet and return to Malasana. To rest, lie back on your mat and repeat Thread the Needle and then roll off to the side to sit up.

Tips & Warnings

• Crow pose is not appropriate for people with low or high blood pressure, glaucoma, diabetes or those who are pregnant.

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