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The Cobra or Snake Pose
The Cobra Pose - Naga-asana
| Posture: |
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Naga-asana - The
Cobra Pose |
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| Translation: |
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The Sanskrit word
naga means snake or serpent. The
naga-asana is also known as the
bhujanga-asana. The Sanskrit word
bhujanga, which also means snake, is derived
from the root bhuj which means to bend or
curve. |
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| Pronunciation: |
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na-gah-sa-na |
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| Difficulty: |
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(4-5) |
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"Let the body, from navel to toes, touch the ground,
the palms placed upon the ground, and raise gently the
upper part of the body (from navel to head) like a
snake. This posture increases the gastric fire; it
destroys all diseases and by constant practice leads to
the awakening of Kundalini."
The Gheranda-samhita
II.42-43.
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| The Cobra Pose (Naga-asana)
Instruction: |
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Lie on the stomach with the head
turned to one side and the arms alongside the
body with palms facing upward. |
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Turn the head and place the chin
on the floor. Inhale then exhale slowly through
the nostrils and swing the arms around until
the hands are placed just below the chin with
the palms down and the finger tips of each hand
almost touching and the elbows on the
floor. |
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Inhale slowly through the
nostrils, press down on the hands and lift the
torso from the waist up off the floor, arching
the spine backwards and straightening the arms.
Keep the hips on the floor. |
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Tilt the head as far back as
possible and hold the posture for the duration
of the inhaled breath. |
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Exhale and reverse the process to
return to position #1. |
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If you find it uncomfortable holding the breath
while the posture is held, breath gently
through the nostrils. Some may find that they
are able to arch the spine back even more than
in the initial arch in step 3. In this case try
"walking" the hands toward the pelvic region
and stretching the head further back.
In addition to the obvious benefits to the
spine and lower back, the standard variation of
the naga-asana strengthens the wrists
and stretches the muscles in the chest. By
maintaining a constant exertion to create a
greater arch in the spine, the stomach and
pelvic muscles are strengthened. Greater
strength in these areas can be cultivated by
performing the variation where the arms remain
on the ground. B.K.S. Iyengar, a renowned
expert in yoga-asanas, claims that
displaced spinal discs can be placed back in
their original position by practicing the
naga-asana.
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| Hold the posture for either
the duration of a held inhaled breath or from
one-half to three minutes. Repeat the
naga-asana two to five times. |
| The are two variations to the
naga-asana. For the first, keep the arms
alongside the body with the palms facing down and
lift the head and chest off the ground. This
variation requires a little more strength in order
to get the full arch of the spine. The second
variation is for those who have a great deal of
flexibility in the lower back. At the peak of the
naga-asana bend the knees and attempt to
touch the top of the head with the soles of the
feet. |
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