Steps
- Lie on your belly. Legs long, tops of the feet on the floor, or toes tucked if the ankles prefer it.
- Place the hands under the shoulders. Elbows hug in.
- Press the pubic bone and the tops of the feet down. Lift the chest using the back, hands light.
- Keep the neck long and look forward. Lower down and rest one cheek.
What this pose may help with
These lines describe why people practice the shape. A pose may help with ordinary stiffness or with settling your attention. They are not claims that the pose treats or cures a condition.
- Moves the upper back into a gentle extension after a day of sitting.
- Strengthens the back muscles when you lift without shoving with the hands.
- A milder choice than Upward-Facing Dog.
Common mistakes
- Pushing with the arms until the shoulders crowd the ears.
- Lifting so high the lower back pinches.
- Holding the breath.
Modifications
- Keep the lift very small, even just the forehead and chest an inch off the floor.
- Use Sphinx on the forearms if the hands feel like too much.
Safety
- Skip belly-down backbends during pregnancy if they are uncomfortable, and after recent abdominal surgery until a clinician clears you.
- If you have a back injury, ask before you practice backbends. Sharp pain means stop.
- A headache or a strained neck: keep the gaze down and the lift tiny.
If you are pregnant, injured, or dealing with back pain, consult a doctor before you follow this page. Stop for sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, or chest pain. This is movement education, not a diagnosis or a treatment. Read the medical disclaimer.
Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana, said boo-jang-GAHS-uh-nuh) is listed here as a Beginner Prone pose. The body area it emphasizes is Back. A small backbend lying on the belly. The pelvis stays down. Height is not the point.
Read the steps in order. Set the pose up before you try to deepen it. The first mistake called out on this page is: Pushing with the arms until the shoulders crowd the ears. That line is there because the usual error is doing too much, not because a tighter shape is a better practice. The modifications keep the same idea when the full shape does not fit today. Use them on purpose. They are part of the pose, not a demotion.
People practice Cobra Pose for a plain reason: Moves the upper back into a gentle extension after a day of sitting. That “may help” is a description of why the shape is in a beginner library. It is not a claim that the pose treats, cures, or prevents a condition. Skip belly-down backbends during pregnancy if they are uncomfortable, and after recent abdominal surgery until a clinician clears you.
If you are pregnant, returning from an injury, or your back has been painful, consult a doctor before you practice Cobra Pose. A safety note on a website is education. It is not clearance. Sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, or pain that runs down a leg is a reason to stop and get care, not a reason to hold the shape longer. The medical disclaimer on this site says the same thing in more detail.
When you are done, come out slowly. One calm repetition you can repeat tomorrow is the point of the page. Pair Cobra Pose with a short routine from this site if you want a sequence, and keep the timer as a guide you are allowed to pause.