Bakasana

Bakasana // Crow Pose

Getting into the pose:
Start from standing in Tadasana, feet hips distance apart. Hinge at the hips and place the hands firmly into the floor, bending the knees if needed. If you’re starting out, take a deep bend in the arms (think Caturanga arms!) and place the knees onto the shelf that you’ve created with the elbows. Keep the hips up high here and gaze at a spot on the ground directly in front of you. Lean the body weight forward and lift the hips up even higher. Begin by slowly lifting one foot off the floor and then alternating to the other. You may wish to stay here or just repeat this several times. If you’re feeling comfortable here, you can work towards lifting both feet off the floor at the same time. Over time working towards straightening the arms – using the core to hold up the body.

Common Errors in the pose:
Not pressing through all fingers of the hand and letting the weight dump down into the wrists. (If you do suffer from wrist pain you can roll up a towel or blanket and place it under the base of the hand to bring the weight into the fingertips. (See here). Another common error when trying to get into this pose is not bringing the hips up high enough – to counteract this, try placing the feet onto some yoga blocks or books to give the hips a bit of extra height. Really lean the body forward so that the shoulders are over the wrists.

Benefits of the pose:

• Builds arm strength
• Improves focus and concentration
• Utilises core strength to lift the knees into the body and keep the hips held high
• Increases wrist strength