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Cobra is the pose people most reliably overdo. The hands are underneath the shoulders, the floor is right there, and pressing up into a big arch is easy. The version the sun salutation asks for is a low, gentle lift led by the muscles of the back, with the elbows still bent, and it is a different pose from the one most people perform.
What it is
You lie on your front with the legs extended behind, place the hands under the shoulders with the elbows bent and close to the body, and on an inhale slide the chest forward and up into a low Cobra. The shoulders draw down away from the ears, the hips and the tops of the feet stay grounded, and the gaze goes forward.
The instruction that changes the pose is that the lift comes from the back rather than from pushing through the hands. If you took the hands off the floor entirely, some lift should remain. That is the muscular work the pose is for, and pressing up with the arms replaces it rather than adding to it.
Keeping the hips grounded is the other half. Once the hips lift, the arch has moved into the lower back and the pose has stopped being about the upper back and chest, which is where the range should be.
Elbows bent and close to the body is not a beginner modification. It is what keeps the shoulders down and the backbend distributed. A straight-armed version is a deeper backbend and a different pose.
How to practise it
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Lie on your front
Lie on your front with the legs extended behind you, together and touching. Rest your arms alongside the body
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Lift the chest
Place your hands under your shoulders, elbows bent and close to the body. Inhale and slide your chest forward and up into a low, gentle Cobra. Keep the shoulders drawing down away from the ears. Lift only as high as feels easy on the lower back.
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Open and breathe
Let the lift come from the back rather than pushing through the hands, and keep the hips and the tops of the feet grounded. Gaze forward and breathe steadily. Lower slowly on an exhale.
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Come back to Prone
Exhale and gently lower your chest back down to the mat, releasing the hands from under the shoulders and returning to lying flat on your front.
How long and how often
Inside a sun salutation it is the length of one inhale. Practised on its own, a few slow breaths in the shape is plenty.
Keep the backbend small and comfortable, especially at first, which is what the app advises. Height is not the measure of the pose.
Lower slowly on an exhale rather than collapsing down.
What usually goes wrong
Pressing up with the arms. The lift is led by the back. If straightening the arms is producing the height, the back muscles are not doing the work the pose is for.
Lifting the hips off the floor. The hips and the tops of the feet stay grounded. Once the hips come up, the arch has slid into the lower back.
Hunching the shoulders up toward the ears. The shoulders draw down and back throughout. Elbows close to the body helps this; elbows winging out works against it.
Pushing through a pinch in the lower back. A pinch means too high, or the lift has moved into the lumbar spine. Come down and go lower.
Who should take care
Practise safely. Keep the backbend small and comfortable, especially at first. Ease off if the lower back pinches. Take care or check with a teacher if you are pregnant or have back issues. See our full Health & Safety Disclaimer.
A low Cobra, cued properly
PanchPrana cues the lift as a slide forward and up rather than a push, which is the difference between a Cobra and a press-up. It is one of the 66 techniques that are free to practise in full, with no account needed.
Common questions
How high should I lift?
Low. A small, comfortable lift is exactly right, particularly at first. The app is explicit that a low, gentle Cobra is the intended pose.
Should my arms be straight?
No. Elbows bent and close to the body is the shape. Straight arms make it a deeper backbend and tend to hunch the shoulders.
Where should the lift come from?
The muscles of the back. If you lightened the hands, some lift should remain. Pressing through the hands substitutes for that work rather than adding to it.
My lower back pinches. What is wrong?
Usually lifting too high, or the hips coming off the floor. Lower the chest, keep the hips down, and check the elbows are still bent.
Who should take care?
The app says to take care or check with a teacher if you are pregnant or have back issues. Keeping the lift small addresses most of the concern.
