The Beauty of Bhujangasana

We tend to think that the more difficult version of something is better.  We desire and work towards that which is more complex, but sometimes instead of integrating all the stages that lead up to the final version, we skip ahead and we throw away the easier versions.  We forget that there is a teaching, that there is value, in that which is less complex.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been revisiting Bhujangasana (cobra pose).  I don’t know how many countless times I’ve done “plank – chatturanga – updog – downdog” without really thinking about it.  I would always go for Urdhva Mukha (updog) instead of Bhujangasana because I thought it was the more advanced asana.  But this automatically generates the thought that Bhujangasana is somehow lesser than Urdhva Mukha.

We dismiss Bhujangasana to be a stepping-stone to something better and we really just want to do the more difficult asana.  We think that if we can do the more difficult one, then we are “getting better” at yoga.  But, as my teachers have taught me, Bhujangasana is not lesser than Urdhva Mukha.  In fact, learning and integrating the key actions of Bhujangasana into your practice will advance your backbend practice, and dare I say, your arm balances as well.  Shocking, isn’t it?

So, from the pinky toes on up, here are some things to think about in Bhujangasana:

from Yoga Journal

1. Press the pinky toes down into the mat and activate the calves and the shins while keeping the ankles straight.  This helps you find your inner thighs so that you rotate them towards the midline.
2. Lengthen your tailbone to your heels, relax your booty when you rise so that you don’t crunch into the lower back.
3. Spread the fingers wide apart and press the base of the thumb, base of the first finger, and knuckle of the first finger into the floor.
4. Check that your elbows are going straight back,not out to the sides.
5. Lift from the back of the heart, not with the chin or by cranking into the lower back.
6. Keep a little bend in the arms so that you actually feel them working.
7. Press the forearms towards each other while opening the chest and roll the shoulders down the back and press them into the midline.

When you activate and lift from the places that are meant to strengthen and open, this will feel like the “harder” asana.  Bhujangasana has been an enlightening teacher for me.  My backbends have felt lighter and my arm balances more stable all because Bhujangasana has taught my body where to be strong and where to release.

Going back to the basics and relearning key actions with the awareness of where you’ve been is how we advance in any movement-based practice (whether its yoga, dance, sports, etc.).  We don’t advance in a straight line, we advance in a spiral – you return to the basics with a higher base of knowledge then the last time you were there.  Now you can understand the movement better and can go deeper.  That’s how we “get better”.

So, maybe the next time you come to the mat, choose Bhujangasana instead of Urdhva Mukha, and see what awakens for you.