Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana): Steps, Tradition, Safety and a Gentler Baby Cobra

Bhujangasana, or cobra pose, is a gentle backbend done lying on the front of the body. You lift the head and chest a little from the floor while the hips and legs stay down, so that the body is shaped like a cobra with its hood raised. It is one of the oldest named postures in the hatha texts, and one of the easiest to overdo, because the temptation is to push up high.

This page gives the steps, the tradition, the dosha associations that teachers use, a clear list of who should avoid it, and a lower version. Please read the safety notes for the whole section too.

How to do it

1. Lie face down on a mat with the legs straight and a little apart, the tops of the feet on the floor and the forehead resting down.
2. Place the palms flat on the floor under the shoulders, with the elbows bent and tucked close to the ribs.
3. Press the tops of the feet and the pubic bone gently into the floor. Keep the legs relaxed rather than clenched.
4. Breathe in, and lift the head and chest using the muscles of the back, not by pushing hard with the hands. Stop when you feel a comfortable stretch, often when the ribs are just off the floor.
5. Keep the elbows bent, the shoulders away from the ears and the neck long, looking down or slightly forward.
6. Stay for three to five easy breaths. Breathe out and lower slowly, then turn the head to one side and rest.

Skip any lift that pinches the lower back. The pose should feel like lengthening and not like crumpling.

What the tradition says

Cobra pose is named in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a medieval text of hatha yoga, which describes it in a few lines and makes large claims for it, such as raising the body’s heat. We mention that only as the text’s claim, and it is a traditional claim, not a medical one. Other texts and modern teachers describe it as opening the chest and strengthening the back, and as a posture of alertness rather than rest. The text belongs to yoga and not to the medical works of Ayurveda such as the Charaka Samhita.

Cobra pose and the doshas

Matching postures to doshas is a modern teaching habit and is not laid out in the Ayurvedic medical texts. It has not been tested by research.

• Teachers often recommend backbends for kapha, described in the tradition as heavy and slow, because they open the chest and feel energising. They suggest a few extra breaths in the pose. See kapha.
• For pitta, described as hot, they suggest a low lift held gently and not intensely, with a cooling rest afterwards. See pitta.
• For vata, described as light and dry, they suggest a very small lift with the elbows bent and a long rest, since vata is said to tire easily. See vata.

Take these as conventions, and follow how your own body responds.

Who should avoid it or take care

• Pregnancy. Do not lie on the belly. Ask your doctor about other options.
• People with back problems, including disc injuries, spondylolisthesis, sciatica or recent back or neck injury, should ask a doctor or physiotherapist first.
• Anyone who has had abdominal surgery, has a hernia or has abdominal pain or ulcers should avoid the pose until a doctor allows it.
• People with carpal tunnel syndrome or wrist injuries should rest on the forearms or skip the hand pressure.
• Those with neck problems should keep the head in line with the spine and avoid tipping it back.
• People with headaches or migraines that are triggered by neck extension should avoid it.
• Anyone who has just eaten, feels unwell or has uncontrolled high blood pressure should wait or ask a doctor.

A gentler option

Try the baby cobra. Lie on the front with the forearms flat on the floor, elbows under the shoulders, and lift the chest only a few centimetres, with the pubic bone pressing down. The hands then carry hardly any weight, and the spine bends only a little. Another gentle version is the sphinx, which is the same with the forearms resting for longer. If lying on the front is uncomfortable, a pillow under the hips or a thin cushion under the chest can help. Or skip the posture and rest in child’s pose, which stretches the back in the opposite way.

What research says

Research on yoga programmes suggests small benefits for chronic low back pain. Those programmes use many postures, and cobra pose has not been studied separately in good trials. The claims that it improves digestion or the functioning of the kidneys and the adrenals, which appear in some books, are not supported by research. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health advises people with spine disease to get medical clearance and modified poses.

Making it part of your practice

Cobra is usually practised after a forward-fold or rest and followed by a counter-pose such as child’s pose, or by a gentle spinal movement such as cat and cow. Respect the half-strength idea described in exercise by dosha: lift a little, and stop early. The yoga sequence tool uses a low cobra in some options.

The backbend above is described as a tradition, not as medical advice. The medical disclaimer sets out the limits of this site. Anyone with a medical condition should ask a doctor before trying it. A registered Ayurvedic practitioner is the person to see for Ayurvedic treatment.

Frequently asked questions