Thursday, January 20, 2011

Today's yogic tip

In the bhujangasana or cobra of the surya namaskar, there is always a too-casual lift, with the shoulders tensed, stomach way off the ground, feet splayed behind, and hands not taking the weight. In a good cobra of the sun salute, the feet remain close, the pressure shifts to lower back and wrists, the pelvis is not too-off the ground, and the head is tilted back firmly, and mainly the shoulders are dropped or drawn back. If this pose is held well, you get a real high!

7 comments:

Anila said...

I used to do the cobra the wrong way initially because no one ever told me it was the wrong way :-) Some time back I read one of your blog posts that carried the right way to do it and ever since have been getting the 'high'! :-)

YOGA IN EVERYTHING said...

Hey, Anila, u made my day!!

Pretty Pauline said...

I have just found your blog, I love yoga, and you have a treasure- trove of information here! Thank you!

indianajones said...

it is the ultimate pose after my cricket practise and seeing me do it the guys in the team also have benefitted from the pose.... Teacher ji tussi great ho :)

YOGA IN EVERYTHING said...

Thanks Pauline:)
Yes Mayank, it is great to ease any stress from a workout with a cobra pose:) good u are exposing yoga to a bunch of other guys

Eleanor said...

Hi Ahameen, The instructions I give for Bhujangasana go a bit like this: The elbows kept close into the body and the shoulders drawn down toward the waist helps align the body. Open the front of the spine rather than focusing on arcing into the back of the spine.

I've found that many students are too keen to arch into bhujangasana before aligning themselves. At first, in Suraya Namaskar, this may take a little more concentration but it pays off as the body moves more readily into a beautifully aligned cobra and prevents the pelvic triangle from lifting.

What do you think?

YOGA IN EVERYTHING said...

Yes, Eleanor. I particularly like your bit about the shoulder down, open the spine (I think I may have to say Chest -- most Indians are not kinesthetically clued in that way, and not as a joke but more as an observation about lifestyle which does not include movement:( -- I agree that most students start off (and continue) by lifting stomach right off the mat.. they think it looks cool. Even advanced students r guilty of this, and most instructors never bother to correct. For some reason, there is a lot ofresistance to the right way to do the cobra.. maybe the right way is more difficult?