Cobra Pose
What Is the Cobra Pose?
Cobra Pose is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back, working the spinal erectors to lift the chest while stretching the abdominals and the front of the hips. It is a beginner-level yoga pose, known in Sanskrit as Bhujangasana, performed lying face down with the pelvis and thighs on the floor while the hands press lightly to help the chest rise.
The pose is a gentle way to practice spinal extension, which makes it a useful counterweight to long hours of sitting and to training that keeps the spine rounded forward. It is a staple backbend in yoga classes and appears in many Sun Salutation sequences, often as the pose before Downward Dog, while other styles use Upward-Facing Dog in that slot. Outside yoga it fits well into warm-ups, cool-downs and mobility sessions.
The back muscles should do most of the lifting, with the arms only assisting. In a small study of eight trained yoga practitioners moving through Sun Salutation, the held Cobra Pose was sustained by the spinal erectors, lower trapezius and latissimus dorsi, and the latissimus dorsi reached its highest activity of the whole sequence in this pose. Lifting only a little with light hands, often called Baby Cobra, turns it into more of a back-strength hold, while pressing toward straight arms deepens the bend and the abdominal stretch but moves more of the work to the arms and the lower back. It differs from Upward-Facing Dog, where the hips and thighs lift off the floor, and from Sphinx Pose, where the forearms rest on the floor.
Cobra Pose suits beginners, desk workers and lifters who want to move the spine through extension it rarely gets. If the full version pinches the lower back, keep the lift low or rest on the forearms first, and build endurance in the back muscles with the Superman. Child Pose is a natural way to release the spine afterward.
Muscles Worked
- Erector Spinae
- Primary
- Rectus Abdominis
- High
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Medium
- Lower Trapezius
- Medium
- Biceps Femoris
- Minimal
Instructions
- Lie face down on a mat with your legs straight behind you, about hip-width apart, and the tops of your feet resting on the floor.
- Place your hands flat on the floor beside your chest with the fingers pointing forward, and keep your elbows bent and tucked in close to your ribs.
- Rest your forehead on or just above the mat, press your thighs and the tops of your feet gently into the floor, and draw your shoulders away from your ears.
- Inhale and lift your head and chest off the floor, leading with the breastbone and using your back muscles first.
- Press lightly through your hands to straighten your arms as far as you can while your hips and the fronts of your thighs stay on the floor, keeping a slight bend in the elbows.
- Lift your chin and look upward, letting your head follow the curve of your upper back rather than dropping hard into the back of your neck.
- Keep your shoulders down and back and your chest broad, and breathe steadily as you hold the position for several breaths.
- Exhale and slowly lower your chest and forehead back to the mat with control.
Common Mistakes
Pushing up with the arms
Shoving the floor away to get higher hands the lift to the arms and crowds the bend into the lower back instead of spreading it along the spine.
Lifting the hips
Letting the pelvis and thighs peel off the floor turns the pose into an Upward-Facing Dog without the leg work that pose needs.
Shrugging the shoulders
Letting the shoulders creep toward the ears strains the neck and upper trapezius and closes the chest the pose is meant to open.
Throwing the head back
Leading with the head before the chest rises bends the neck sharply instead of letting it follow the curve of the upper back.
Flaring the elbows
Elbows that splay out to the sides load the wrists and shoulders unevenly and make it harder to keep the shoulders down.
Holding the breath
Bracing without breathing stiffens the trunk and makes the backbend feel harder than it is.
Injuries
Cobra Pose is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The body stays supported by the floor, and the main strain points are the lower back, which can feel compressed when the arms push the chest higher than the spine can bend evenly, the neck when the head is thrown back, and the wrists, which bear weight in extension.
Lift only as high as you can while the hips and thighs stay down and the lower back feels comfortable, keep the shoulders drawn away from the ears, and let the head follow the curve of the spine instead of leading it. Bring the hands slightly forward or keep the lift low if the wrists complain. To make it easier, use a low Baby Cobra with light hands or rest on the forearms in a Sphinx position; to make it harder, hold longer or move on to Upward-Facing Dog once the lower back tolerates extension well. The Superman builds back strength without any weight on the hands.
Stop if you feel a sharp or pinching pain in the lower back, pain, numbness or tingling that travels into the buttock or leg, or wrist pain that does not ease when you shift your hands. People with spondylolisthesis, facet joint irritation, a recent back injury or recent abdominal surgery should get clearance from a health professional first, and the face-down position is generally avoided after the first trimester of pregnancy.
- Primary Focus
- Back
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Yoga
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Cobra Pose
The Cobra Pose is also known as:
- Bhujangasana
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What is the difference between Cobra Pose and Upward-Facing Dog?
In Cobra Pose the pelvis and thighs stay on the floor and the elbows usually keep a slight bend. In Upward-Facing Dog the arms straighten fully and the hips, thighs and knees lift, so only the hands and the tops of the feet touch the floor, which makes it the more demanding pose.
- Q: Is Cobra Pose the same as Sphinx Pose?
No. Sphinx Pose rests on the forearms with the elbows under the shoulders, which gives a lower, gentler backbend, while Cobra Pose rests on the hands and lifts the chest higher.
- Q: Should my arms be straight in Cobra Pose?
Only as straight as you can get them while the hips stay on the floor and the lower back feels comfortable. Most people keep a slight bend in the elbows, and a low version with light hands is a perfectly good way to practice.
- Q: How long should you hold Cobra Pose?
In a Sun Salutation it is usually held for a breath or two. On its own, holding for 3 to 5 slow breaths, roughly 15 to 30 seconds, for 2 or 3 rounds is a common starting point.
- Q: Is Cobra Pose good for lower back pain?
It depends on the cause. Gentle extension like this eases symptoms for some people, and physical therapists use a similar prone press-up for selected patients, but extension can aggravate conditions such as spondylolisthesis or facet joint irritation, so stop if the pain sharpens or spreads into the leg and get it assessed.