In this Article
- What Is a Crow Pose?
- Crow Yoga Pose
- Crow Pose Variations
- Crow Yoga Pose Benefits
- Yoga Crow Pose Beginners
- The Takeaway
The crow yoga pose is a great balancing pose. The crow pose can help prepare your mind and body for meditation. It’s an easy pose to notice improvement on. As you work through the crow pose, you may notice your arms, wrists, and shoulders strengthening. The muscles in your fingers, wrists, and forearms are also stretched during this movement.
What Is a Crow Pose?
The crow yoga pose, called Kakasana in Sanskrit, is a yoga posture that focuses on your upper body. This yoga pose is considered an arm balance yoga position. This means that when practicing the pose, you mainly use your arms or hands to balance your entire body.
Another similar pose is the crane position, or Bakasana in Sanskrit. It focuses on the same body parts as the crow pose.
Crow Yoga Pose
The crow yoga pose can be done in three steps. But you may need to work up to doing the movement correctly. It’s OK to start with beginner variations to help strengthen the muscles that will help keep your body in this pose.
Start in a squat. To get ready for the crow, you’ll need to squat low, with your feet and knees wide apart. While in the squat position, put your arms between your knees. Put your hands directly under your shoulders and place your hands flat on the floor.
Support your weight by stretching your fingers wide and turning your hands inward.
Bring your knees to your arms. Once you’re in position, bend your elbows slightly, turning them outward. Then rest your knees against your upper arms. Lean forward slightly until you feel your weight pressing on your wrists.
If you need to stop at this point, you can. You’ll still see benefits from the flow to this point. Your forearms are being stretched, and your wrists are being strengthened by supporting your weight.
Raise your feet off the floor. When your elbows are supporting your weight, you’ll start to raise each foot slowly. Once your feet are raised, balance on your hands for at least 10 seconds. The longer you practice the crow yoga pose, the longer you’ll be able to hold the pose. You can aim for 30 seconds to 1 minute or longer.
To finish the movement, you’ll slowly lower your feet to the ground. Then you can sit up and relax your wrists. When possible, you can start the crow pose over again.
Crow Pose Variations
A harder version of the crow pose is doing it with straight arms. This is also called the crane pose or advanced frog stand. It’s another way to strengthen your arm muscles by holding the pose with straight arms. This variation uses more shoulder strength and raises your center of gravity. Another thing that makes this pose variation is more challenging is that you’re putting your knees higher up into your armpits.
Another crow pose variation is the crow to tripod headstand. This transition can be challenging but also rewarding. To do this variation, you’ll need to feel comfortable doing the crow yoga pose and the tripod headstand. This variation is not for beginners.
It’s a pose that works well for people familiar with their cervical vertebrae alignment to avoid causing neck or back problems. A common mistake is collapsing in your shoulder or upper back area, putting a lot of stress on your neck.
Another variation of the crow is air baby extensions. To do this yoga pose, you’ll rotate one hand out 90° and place the other a little farther forward. Then you’ll lift into the crow, shift your weight toward your rotated hand, and start straightening your opposite leg back and forth. To maintain balance, you’ll need to do it slowly.
Crow Yoga Pose Benefits
Beyond the balancing benefits, the crow yoga pose benefits are bountiful for your arms, core, and even mood. The crow pose can help build your ab muscles and your arm strength. Another benefit of the crow pose is mood enhancement.
Another crow yoga pose benefit is a better posture. This pose focuses on core muscles, arms, hands, shoulder blades, and knees, ultimately improving your posture. Other physical improvements include:
- Lower body flexibility
- Glute and thigh training
- Upper spine
- Hip flexor
The crow pose can potentially improve your concentration levels as well. It may also boost your mood and confidence.
Yoga Crow Pose Beginners
When you’re first trying to do the crow pose, the balancing part can be the most challenging. Make sure you put a cushion in front of you so you don’t have to worry about getting hurt if you fall on your face. You’ll be more likely to focus on your body’s movements if you’re not worried about falling.
Here are a few tips for doing the crow pose correctly:
- Keep your elbows, shoulders, and wrists in line with each other.
- Keep your gaze directed forward, not down.
- Let your back follow a cat shape.
- Use your core and rib muscles to stay balanced and lifted.
- Don’t let your legs rest on your arms.
- Make sure your heels are closed and facing your glutes.
Warming up your arms and wrists is an important step to getting ready for the crow pose. Strengthened core muscles are going to be most beneficial for successfully doing this pose. But practicing crow and crane poses also takes a lot of arm strength.
Don’t rush this pose. It’s better for your body to take it slow and find your balance rather than throwing yourself into this position.
The Takeaway
The crane yoga pose is a challenging but rewarding pose. It can help improve your physical and mental well-being. Once you accomplish this pose, you’re likely to feel more confident and happy with yourself.
