Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

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.

Practicing Cobra Pose at home

Cobra Pose, or Bhujangasana, is a small backbend on your belly. It can be a good choice after time spent sitting, especially if your upper back feels rounded or sleepy. In this pose, less often feels better. Your pelvis stays grounded, and the lift comes mostly from your back muscles, not from shoving the floor away with your hands. Many people find it helps to think of the chest gliding forward as it lifts, while the neck stays long and easy.

As you practice, pay attention to where you feel the work. A steady feeling through the upper back is usually a good sign. A crowded neck, shoulders creeping toward the ears, or a pinching feeling in the low back usually means the lift is too high. Try making it much smaller, even lifting only a little. You can keep the gaze slightly down if your neck feels strained or if you have a headache. Let your breath move through your nose if that’s comfortable, and soften back down if you catch yourself holding it.

This pose fits well into a short home practice when you want a mild backbend without going as strong as Upward-Facing Dog. You might try a few gentle rounds, lowering fully and resting a cheek between them. If hands on the floor feel like too much, Sphinx on the forearms is a simpler option. If your ankles prefer it, you can tuck the toes instead of placing the tops of the feet down.

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.

Routines that use this pose

Cobra Pose: common questions

How high should I lift in Cobra Pose?

Only lift to the height where your neck stays long, your shoulders don’t crowd your ears, and your low back doesn’t pinch. Height is not the point. A very small lift can still be useful, and many beginners do well keeping the hands light.

What should Cobra Pose feel like?

You may notice gentle work in the back muscles and a mild opening across the chest and upper back. The pelvis stays down. If you feel sharp pain, strong pressure in the low back, or strain in the neck, come lower or stop.

What if Cobra Pose bothers my wrists or ankles?

You can make the pose smaller and keep less weight in the hands. Sphinx on the forearms is a good alternative when the hands feel like too much. If the tops of the feet are uncomfortable, try tucking the toes so the ankles are in a different position.