Cobra Pose: Bhujangasana
Purposes and Benefits:
- Targets lower back
- Prevents lower back pain
- Helps to cure lumbago, rheumatism, and spinal arthritis
- Relieves menstrual problems, such as backaches, cramps, and irregularity
- Cures loss of appetite
- Aids in correcting posture
- Enhances functioning of liver and spleen
- Boosts concentration
- Increases spinal flexibility and strength
- Invigorates deltoids, trapezius, and triceps
- Massages and tones back muscles
(NOTE: This pose requires 80-20 breathing, whose “How-to-Do” is described first. The “How-to-Do” for the pose is explained immediately after.)
How to Do 80-20 Breathing:
- Begin by taking a full breath as if preparing to head underwater
- As you inhale, lift ribs while engaging and stretching abdominal muscles
- Move into pose while exhaling 20% of air through nose with closed mouth
- Continue to breathe this way: inhale fully and exhale 20% of air while keeping lungs 80% full
How to Do:
- Lie on belly
- Put palms flatly on floor directly underneath shoulders, fingertips in line with tops of shoulders
- Keep legs and feet together and keep them stretched down and back
- Draw shoulders down and keep elbows in close to ribs
- For next step, use strength of spine and legs rather than arms (it’s not a push up)
- Inhale, look up to ceiling, and arch head and torso back until belly button just touches floor.
- Ensure that arms are “L-shaped” at 90 degrees
- Maintain slightly raised gaze and avoid supporting body weight with hands
- To prepare for 80-20 breathing, keep elbows tightly to sides of body and relax face
- Hold pose for 20 seconds while doing 80-20 breathing
- Lower chin to floor
