COBRA
Sankskrit: Bhujangasana

Benefits: Strengthens back muscles, opens entire front of torso and boosts energy.

“Bending backwards, opposite to everyday forward bending, reverses all of that gravity pulling us down, opening the heart to bountiful potential.”

Movement:

• With legs and toes extended and elbows bent, press hands down onto the mat. Inhale, lifting your chest as if to pull your torso forward through your hands.
• As you straighten your arms, keep your spine long and shoulders down and away from your ears
• Keep hipbones on the floor to support your lower back.
• Exhale, bending elbows and lowering torso back down onto the floor.
• Keep elbows close to the body, so shoulders can roll back.
• Keep elbows slightly bent so that they can hug into the body.
• Keep hands flat on the floor, not bubbling up, to protect the wrists.

DOWNWARD FACING DOG
Sanskrit: Adho Mukha Svanasana

Benefits: Increases leg and core strength, and hamstring flexibility; increases circulation.

“When we put ourselves physically upside down, we have the opportunity to see things from another perspective.”

• From Cobra, turn toes under, pressing hands into the floor, straightening arms and legs. Exhale, lifting hips up toward the ceiling in an inverted V.
• Bend knees as much as needed to extend spine by pressing thighs back and chest toward the floor, aligning head, neck, shoulders, back and hips.
• Once the spine is extended with knees bent, begin to press the heels toward the floor as much as you can.
• Press down the inner edges of your hands and squeeze upper arms together; draw shoulder blades back and down; rotate shoulders open so insides of forearms face each other.
• Stay in this pose for 3 to 5 breaths.

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Tags: Adho Mukha Svanasana, Asana, Bhujangasana, energy, Yoga, Yoga positions