Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

<h2> Bhujangasana. Snake or Cobra Pose</h2>

From the word "bhujanga" - snake. In this pose you lie flat on the floor face down, lift the trunk up and take the head back, like a snake about to strike.

Bhujangasana in brief

1. Lie on the floor face down. Extend the legs, keeping the feet together. The knees are firm and the toes are stretched back.
2. Exhale, press the palms firmly into the floor and draw the trunk up. Take two breaths.
3. Inhale and go on lifting the trunk until only the pubic bone is still touching the floor. Stay in this position for a while. The weight of the body rests on the legs and the palms.
4. Contract the anus and the buttocks and firm the thighs.
5. Hold the pose for about 20 seconds, breathing normally.
6. Exhale, bend the arms at the elbows and lower the trunk to the floor. Repeat the pose 2-3 times, then relax.

Contraindications:
 
Pregnancy. 
High blood pressure (those who suffer from raised blood pressure should minimise the arch of the cervical spine or leave it out entirely). 
With an overactive thyroid, taking the head back is absolutely not allowed. In that case the asana may be done with the chin pressed to the chest. 
With any disorder of the spine the asana should be done with the greatest care.
 
Finer points of Bhujangasana:

Arching the spine in sequence, vertebra by vertebra, as you come into the asana and as you come out of it, is very important! It sets up the correct distribution of energy in the practitioner's body and avoids harmful consequences, and with systematic practice it has an enormous restorative effect.
 
While doing the asana, watch the arch of the lumbar spine; it should be minimal. To achieve this, engage the buttock muscles fully, taking the tailbone down and drawing the pubic bone up; the legs are firm and pressed closely together. 
The main work in the asana takes place in the thoracic spine. Extend the thoracic region as much as possible, then, by drawing the shoulders back and down away from the ears, move the sternum forward and up. The arms are not straightened completely, and by bringing the elbows slightly toward each other they increase the arch of the thoracic region.
 
Those who suffer from raised blood pressure should minimise the arch of the cervical spine or leave it out entirely, extending the crown of the head up and slightly forward.
 
The asana is symmetrical, and while doing it you must watch for a symmetrical distribution of the load. In the early stages it is important to notice which muscles are stretched and which are compressed, which are working and which are relaxed, and also which muscles can be relaxed without altering the energetic form of the asana itself.

Bhujangasana in detail

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) and its variations may seem too simple, but it is precisely these that lay the foundation for more demanding backbends such as Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose) or Ustrasana (Camel Pose). Correct work of the legs in Cobra Pose lets you extend the spine and makes the backbend stable, while the movements of the pelvis and abdomen protect the lower back - the most mobile part of the spine - from excessive compression. As you do each variation of Bhujangasana, observe how the chest opens.

The starting position of the Snake

Begin with the simplest backbend - Ardha Bhujangasana (Sphinx Pose). Lying on your stomach, inhale and place the elbows under the shoulders and the forearms on the floor. Exhale and feel the back arch gently.
 
With the thighs parallel to each other, extend the legs as though trying to reach the wall behind you with your toes. Turn the thighs inward, taking their outer surface toward the floor. This movement helps to broaden the sacral area and lengthen the lower back, protecting it from strain. As you extend the legs well, see that the eyes and the tongue stay soft and the mind stays calm.
Then find the correct position of the pelvis: to do this, take the sacrum toward the heels. Try not to squeeze the buttocks - that creates pressure in the lower back.
Finally, bring the abdomen into the work, specifically the area just above the pubic bone and below the navel: begin to draw it gently away from the floor, forming a dome that rises toward the lower back. This is a very subtle movement: you should not suck the abdomen in or tense it, and it must not become hard. This action will help you hold the pose and will make the curve of the spine even, smoothing out the lower back and developing sensitivity in its upper part.
Stay in the pose for 5 to 10 cycles of breath. Then slowly lower the abdomen and the chest to the floor, turn the head to one side and feel the back broaden, relaxing with every exhalation.

Doing a variation - the low Cobra

The backbend goes deeper in the “low” Cobra - the variation in which only the chest lifts off the floor. Lying on your stomach, place the palms on the floor beside the ribcage so that the fingertips are under the shoulder joints. Press the elbows to the sides of the body. Pressing the palms strongly into the floor, lift the chest. The muscles that run along the spine will help you hold the pose. By bringing them into the work you develop strength and flexibility in the back.
Continuing to hold the elbows against the sides, draw the shoulder blades in actively. Now broaden the chest, taking the area of the heart forward and up. Imagine that the upper chest is a sail that has caught a gust of wind and fills out, rising and widening as you breathe in. Pressing the hands into the floor even more strongly, let the rising stream of air fill the whole volume of the lungs with the inhalation.
Keeping the area of the heart lifted high, take the shoulders down until the neck feels long and the arms feel strong and steady. You will be able to extend the cervical spine still better if you move the base of the skull away from the shoulders. Do not reach forward with the chin - instead keep the head above the centre of the chest. When you are ready to come out of the pose, lower the chest to the floor carefully, centimetre by centimetre. Notice how the breath pulses through the whole body. (The physiological side of this variation of Cobra is discussed below)

Coming into the full Cobra Pose

In the full version of Bhujangasana the pose has to be adjusted to the particulars of your body and to your level of practice. Be attentive as you straighten the arms and deepen the backbend: try to bring the upper and middle back into the work rather than overloading and compressing the lower back. Straighten the arms only as far as you can keep the whole spine extending evenly.
Lie down on the floor and place the fingertips level with the middle of the ribcage. As in the “low” Cobra, extend the legs strongly, take the sacrum toward the heels and draw the abdomen gently away from the floor.
To come into Cobra Pose, press the palms well into the floor, draw the shoulder blades in and take the shoulders down. As the upper back arches, come up gradually higher, pressing the palms into the floor. And, if it is possible, straighten the arms completely. Holding them close to the sides, move the sternum forward, creating space in the chest and the abdomen. Remember: the size of the backbend does not matter. What matters is the correct, coordinated work of the upper and lower body.
Stay in the pose for 5 to 10 cycles of breath, then come down carefully. As you rest, direct your exhalations mentally into the tightest areas of the back and observe the new sensations in the spine, the breath and the state of the mind. 
To feel the benefit of backbends for yourself you do not have to achieve the steepest possible arc. Try instead to make it even: the backbend becomes deep when you feel it in the lower, middle and upper back, and not only in the lumbar area. (Yoga Journal)

Further notes on Bhujangasana

Cobra Pose is one of the basic and most important poses, and it allows the form to be developed widely. Beginners are offered a short sequence of changing positions within Bhujangasana - a small cycle of backbends, as it were.
The first phase: place the palms on the floor so that when we lift the trunk the arms will be shoulder-width apart and completely perpendicular to the floor. And now let the shoulders sag as much as possible; the spine hangs down like a piece of cord. There is no effort at all, the arms are supporting, the whole body is relaxed. The holding time is a minute or a minute and a half, depending on how long you stay free of sensation. Ideally the pubic bone lies on the floor, but let it be as it turns out: say you are resting on the upper or even the middle part of the thighs. There should be no unpleasant sensation in the lower back. It sometimes happens that as a person relaxes the muscles of the back and feels the lower back arching, unpleasant sensations begin there. In that case the asana should be done for a while with the lower back held firm; gradually the spine adapts, and the lumbar region will relax and hang without pain.
Having come down after the necessary holding time and rested, you can put one leg over the other (foot over foot), crossing the legs, and come up into Bhujangasana in that position. The details of the practice are the same as in the first backbend, but something has been added: the crossed-leg position gives the spine a twist about its axis, and when the asana is done a second time, now with the legs the other way round, people with scoliosis are sure to feel a difference in sensation, sometimes a very marked one. So we have two rounds of one minute each in Bhujangasana with the feet crossed, then a change of the legs and a rest.
The next element of the sequence is lifting the trunk without the arms, using the muscles of the back (holding time up to 20 seconds), and then - bringing the hands forward without lowering the trunk - we come up higher still and take the final shape (legs shoulder-width apart), holding for up to 60 seconds. Throughout, the breath remains continuous, free and relaxed.
In the last two phases - with the legs crossed it is possible - having come up into the final position, you can also do Ardha Bhujangasana. This is a curious point: within one pose we perform another, essentially without changing the position of the trunk and without moving the arms at all, except for adding a small measure of physical effort in them. It is done like this: once we have come up into the final shape of the «cobra pose» and stayed there, say, for half of the holding time, we can then press lightly on the floor with the straight arms and additionally «roll» the upper part of the ribcage forward and up. That will be Ardha Bhujangasana within Bhujangasana proper.
Contraindications: pinched or herniated intervertebral discs, displaced vertebrae, pathological lordosis, inguinal hernia, acute stages of radiculitis and lumbago, menstruation, pregnancy beyond eight weeks, acute conditions of the abdominal organs. (V. Boyko, YIK)

The effects of practising Bhujangasana

Backbends are known to have a powerful therapeutic effect on health - they charge you with energy, help you cope with back pain, correct the stoop earned over countless hours at a computer and behind the wheel of a car, and overcome depression.
The effect of Bhujangasana and all its variations on the internal organs, especially the kidneys, is invaluable. Cobra Pose is a panacea for injuries of the spine. The degree of flexibility of the spine is an indicator of physiological age. Potency in men and the tone of the uterine muscles in women depend on the condition of the lumbar spine. Where an intervertebral disc has slipped slightly, Bhujangasana returns the disc to its normal position.
In more detail about the benefits of this asana: Bhujangasana increases lung capacity. It raises intra-abdominal pressure. It stretches the extensor muscles of the ankle (the instep of the foot). It strengthens and stretches the abdominal muscles. It strengthens and rejuvenates the sympathetic nerves of all the internal organs and of the trunk. It corrects deformity of the spine. It restores and rejuvenates the deep muscles of the back and abdomen. It removes stiffness of the spine. It stimulates the work of the thyroid and parathyroid glands, the kidneys and the adrenals. It clears various functional disorders of the endocrine glands. It promotes good emptying of the bowels. It restores and rejuvenates the nervous system. It treats scoliosis and prevents the formation of stones.

Variations of Bhujangasana

Variation 1: the low Cobra

This variation of Snake Pose has already been discussed above in the detailed description of Bhujangasana. Here is an account of the same variation from a physiological point of view.
- I have seen many clever (and still more not particularly clever) books on yoga, but not one of them had a correct description of bhujangasana. For to do this pose correctly you have to understand and feel clearly what it acts upon and which internal processes it sets going. That is why I usually begin every yoga class with bhujangasana. In this connection, incidentally, I would like to express my gratitude to my yoga teacher Anatoly Ivanovich Ivanov, who showed me the correct performance of this - genuinely central - asana. So: we lie down on the stomach, extend the legs, draw the buttocks together, forehead on the floor, and press the palms into the floor as well, with the elbows drawn together behind by an effort of will. Next you have to make yourself like a cobra preparing to strike. Slowly raise the head - to the point where the back of the skull comes up against the upper back (the nape). At that moment the thyroid gland is activated (in Sanskrit, the vishuddhi chakra). Then we begin to arch the thoracic spine. The chest slowly lifts off the floor, and the hands may be lifted along with it.
- Should the hands not touch the floor?
- The hands may lie on the floor or they may hang. That is not important. The main thing is not to lean on them. In the end you should try to arch as though you wanted to touch your tailbone with your forehead (!).
- Is that even possible?
- Of course not. The thoracic region does not arch backward at all; it is curved the other way. The task of the yogi doing the cobra pose is to try to do the impossible. But the main thing is: do NOT arch in the lower back. The abdomen - from the navel down - must NOT lift off the floor. That is, the arching should happen only in the area of the shoulder blades. Then the sympathetic (thoraco-lumbar) part of the spine is switched on, the sympatho-adrenal system comes into play, and there is powerful pressure on the area of the kidneys and adrenals. After that, once the thoracic and lumbar spine is arched sufficiently, the chin can be lowered, thereby "switching off" the thyroid. This makes it possible to increase the pressure on the kidneys and adrenals sharply.
- And in what way does such a pose remove inner irritation?
- At first my convictions came only from "experiments on myself". Later, in the course of studying the adrenal cortex, the guesses received numerical confirmation. We took venous blood from two dozen subjects. We measured the amount of the stress hormone (cortisol). Then all the subjects did the cobra pose. After that we ran the blood test again and "looked at the cortisol". The level of the stress hormone had dropped sharply. In almost everyone.
- So perhaps the cobra pose is calming after all, lowering the general tone of the body? That would be why all the hormones went down, the "stress" one included.
The thing is that alongside the cortisol levels we recorded the level of testosterone (the male sex hormone, which as we know has a positive effect on physical strength, muscle mass, speed of thought and sexual desire). And the testosterone level rose sharply after bhujangasana. In everyone. And that means the subjects acquired additional mental and physical activity, so there can be no question of any calming down or falling asleep. The testosterone data did not surprise me, though, since the effects of the cobra pose are well known to us without any "hormonal confirmation". I always recommend doing this pose before competitions, to mobilise the physical self; before training, to increase the "hunger" of the muscles; before serious mental work (especially in hours of fatigue and lack of sleep); and also immediately before exertions on the romantic front. (AiF, R. Minvaleev)

Variation 2: Bhujangasana II

This variation of Cobra Pose is given by B.K.S. Iyengar in "Light on Yoga".
1. Lie flat on the floor on your stomach. Bend the elbows and place the palms on the floor on either side of the waist.
2. Exhale, raise the head and trunk up and take them back, extending the arms completely, without disturbing the position of the pubis and the legs.
3. Stay in this position for a few seconds, breathing normally.
4. Exhale, bend the knees and raise the feet up. The weight of the body will be felt in the pelvic area, the thighs and the hands. Take a few breaths.
5. Shift the pressure onto the right hand, lift the left hand off the floor and, with a deep exhalation, throw the arm back and take hold of the left kneecap. After a few breaths take another quick, deep exhalation and, throwing the right arm back, take hold of the right kneecap with the right hand.
6. Straighten and extend the legs on the floor without releasing the grip on the knees. Extend the neck and take the head back as far as possible. Gradually bring the knees closer and closer together.
7. Contract the anus, firm the thighs and hold the pose for 15-20 seconds. The breath will be rapid and laboured, since the spine, the chest and the shoulders open fully while the abdomen contracts.
8. Bend the knees, release the hands one at a time and lower yourself to the floor. 
(Note: in the photograph the legs should be extended along the floor, as in ordinary Cobra, and the hands should be under the knees)

The effects of practising Bhujangasana II

This pose is a more intense version of Bhujangasana I (ordinary Cobra) and its effect is stronger. The sacral, lumbar and dorsal regions of the spine benefit from this asana. The muscles of the neck and shoulders are fully stretched. The blood supply to the pubic area increases; the thyroid and parathyroid glands, the adrenals and the sex glands receive a rich supply of blood, which raises vitality. The chest, too, expands fully.

Variation 3: Ashtanga Namaskara (the salute with eight parts)

This variation of Bhujangasana is used in some techniques of Surya Namaskar.
Lower the body to the floor so that in the final position only the toes, the knees, the chest, the palms and the chin touch the floor - eight parts of the body in all. The hips and the abdomen should be lifted slightly. This variation of Cobra strengthens the muscles of the arms and legs, tones the kidneys, the thyroid gland and the spine, and opens the chest. (Sun Home)

Variation 4: Purna Bhujangasana (the full Cobra Pose)

Purna, Paripurna, Purnata - mean fullness, perfection, whole, complete. Purna Bhujangasana therefore translates as the completed Snake Pose.
Do the ordinary Bhujangasana, then, in the final position, bend the legs at the knees and try to touch the back of the head with your toes.
Restrictions: this version is intended for children and adolescents with very flexible backs.