Asana
Cobra (Bhujangasana)
It has been said that, as long as your back is flexible you still have a long way to go.
With the passing of age our back starts throwing tantrums and becomes very stiff against our wishes.
Before any such thing happens tone your body and other parts of your body by doing this asana.
Benefits Of The Cobra:
When you perform Cobra posture (or Bhujangasana in Sanskrit) every muscle of your body is pulled and stretched which gives the elasticity and suppleness to your backbone,
tones abdominal muscles, massages adrenal glands and provides rich supply of blood for the entire body. It helps in relieving you from constipation and backache problems, easing menstrual cramps; Liver and other organs next to it also benefits from this asana.
Bhujangasana is beneficial for the chest and the heart, apart from having many other physical and psychological benefits on the health.
Note: this is very strong posture, so please do it after some warming movements or asanas.
Contraindications/Cautions:
* People with acute pain around back or neck should avoid this posture for the period of having such pain.
* People suffering from hernia, intestinal tuberculosis or hyperthyroidism should not perform this asana.
* Pregnant women should consult Yoga teacher before performing that asana. While it is not recommended to pregnant women without previous Yoga experience, some modifications can be applied to pregnant Yoginis.
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Initial Position: lie down on your stomach, on a flat surface. Make sure you relax all the muscles completely. Rest your forehead on the floor.
Put your legs together and position your hands in line with your shoulders with elbows attached to your body.
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First variation: raise your chest off the floor without your hands support, raising them a bit off the floor. This way you are using your core
muscles more extensively then spinal, giving safe and light work to your back muscles
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Second variation: Raise chest like in First variation and then, using your hands support, continue to raise higher utilising arms and shoulders strength,
open chest to the front. Elbows bent half-a-way. Try to keep this position for 3- 5 breaths, softening navel muscles and allowing navel move closer to the floor with
every exhalation. Open shoulders trying to move them backwards while moving chest forward, like a cobra raises her head off the coil.
Remember that your neck should be an extension of your spine and head is not dropping backward.
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Third Variation: Place your hands in line with your breasts. Gradually raise your cobra, opening elbows half a way at first and then slowly straightening your arms in full so that your hands, calves knees and, possibly, pubic bone are in touch with the floor.
Keep in mind that if your body is not ready to have pubic bone dropping down to the floor, you can keep it off trying to soften your navel muscles and allowing them to be closer to the floor with every exhalation.
Shoulders are open, chest moves to the front, head graciously raised off your spine.
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Beginner variations: If your are beginner and all of the above variations of the Bhujangasana look scary to you –
try to perform the posture with your hands far in front of your body
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or with arms bent and forearms in a floor.
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Relaxation: After performing Cobra slowly move to the relaxation in extended Balasana, having elbows on a floor and stay there for 10-15 breaths.
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