Bakasana, or Crow Pose, is commonly the first arm balance that yogis land. Enjoy the journey and remember achieving it, because there is nothing like your first successful flight! Besides being something to aim for, the core strength, mental focus and challenge that the posture requires are all qualities we want to cultivate as yogis. Physical health, mental stability and adaptability are required to thrive, and this pose gives us the opportunity to develop all three attributes. Beyond these benefits, if standing on your hands is something you’re into, Bakasana is a key step along the way- once you’re adept at it, you can really play with feeling the weight of your body on the fronts and backs of your hands, the movement of your head and core as it coordinates to keep you balanced on them, and more.
To come into the pose for the first time, it’s helpful to step onto a block with the feet together. As you lower your hips down, separate your knees and come up onto the balls of your feet. Place your hands on your mat, so that your wrists are situated just beneath your shoulders. The block gives you a little more height to get your knees as high up on your upper arms as possible. Squeeze your knees in towards the outer upper arms, and on exhale, engage your low abdomen as you lean forward, with a slight bend in the elbows (if you practice mula bandha, gently engage here). Lift one foot off of the block to “test your wings”, set it back down and try the other foot. Eventually you will bring both feet off of the block simultaneously, and ultimately get into the pose without use of the block.
Check out my step-by-step video here! Enjoy your flight and see you on the mat!
