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Jan 11, 2024 · It’s true, Crow Pose requires arm and core strength. But there’s more to finding that elusive balance than muscling your way through it. Start with these essential truths for coming into any arm balance that you might have never considered.
- Claire Mark
Sep 29, 2021 · Ca-caw! Crow Pose is a great way to level up your yoga repertoire. Takes a little practice, though. Here's how to rule the roost at Crow Pose.
- Tom Russell
- Focus on feeling light, not strong. “I often see students trying to muscle their way through Crow Pose,” says yoga teacher Pranidhi Varshney, founder of Yoga Shala West in Los Angeles.
- Think of your belly button as a suction cup. If you’re left wondering how, exactly, to to find that lightness and abdominal engagement, Shawnee Amara Williams has the answer.
- Keep a steady gaze on the ground about a foot in front of you. “One of the biggest challenges for students in Crow Pose is where to direct the gaze,” says San Francisco-based yoga therapist Jenny Clise.
- Don’t try to lift your entire body. “In the vast majority of arm balances, the dominant action that takes you into an arm balance is not up,” says longtime yoga teacher and teacher trainer Jason Crandell in a YouTube tutorial.
Crow Pose, or Bakasana, is a foundational arm balance that challenges and builds upper body strength, core stability and focus. This pose is a gateway to mastering more complex arm balances and inversions, making it a pivotal practice for yogis of all levels.
- Step 1: Breathing
- Step 2: Hip-Opening Warm-Up
- Step 3: Reclined Crow
- Step 4: Crow with A Blanket and Block
- Step 5: Crow with A Block
Lie on your back, and begin by bringing your awareness to your breath. Put your hands on your belly and close your eyes. From here, awaken your ujjayi (victorious) breath: When you inhale, take a full, deep breath in through your nose. When you exhale, allow a little constriction in the back of the throat to give your breath an audible quality as y...
Next, plant your feet on the floor about hip-width apart, with your heels under your knees, and tuck your shoulder blades underneath you to prepare for a few cycles of bridge pose: Inhale and lift your hips; exhale and lower them. Be sure to press into your feet as you inhale and lift your hips. Do three to four repetitions. After you finish your l...
Experiencing the mechanics of kakasana from the safety of a reclined position is a great way to alleviate the fear of falling that often accompanies the arm-balancing version of this pose. It’s also a great way to explore the benefits of crow as you work on building the upper body strengthrequired to balance on your hands. The body mechanics of cro...
If you’re ready to try crow on your hands, start by placing a folded blanket in front of you. In order to work through my fear of falling in this pose, I first explored kakasana on my lawn—I knew that if I fell, it would be on soft grass, and therefore less scary than crashing onto a hard floor. The blanket provides a similar sense of comfort. Try ...
This is another fun variation of kakasana that uses a yoga block to help you balance longer. This time, you’ll place your forehead on the block to help maintain your balance and keep from falling forward. This variation is especially helpful for those who can get into kakasana but struggle to hold the pose for longer than a few seconds. Place a yog...
- Dianne Bondy
Mar 26, 2024 · Crow Pose offers incredible strengthening and stretching benefits for the entire body, and over time prepares yoga practitioners for more challenging arm balances. The posture strengthens the arms, shoulders, and core, while also helping to improve balance.
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Should you practice Crow Pose before Bakasana?
Crow pose really isn’t just one of those postures that you attempt to practice full out on your first try. Because it’s a tenuous arm balance, it takes a bit of finessing your form before you’re able to jump headfirst into the pose without landing headfirst on the floor.
