Welcome to episode 6 of the Yoga Asana series. Today we discuss Cobra & Upward facing dog, the anatomy along with differences between the two postures.
Lets begin with Cobra.
Usually our first backbend in a yoga sequence during sun salutations.
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Bhujangasana
(Boo - Jang - Gahs - Anna)
Named after the cobra snake (aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh 😉)
We are introduced to this back bend first as it is a GENTLE back bend. It helps us warm up the spine during extention in a safe way since our legs & hips stay rooted to the ground. They do not lift off the ground at all during cobra.
What do you mean extension Elisa?
Well, the way I remember it is:
Spinal Flexion : Fold forward, F for Flexion is F for Forward
Spinal Extension : The opposite 😂 A back bend
In life we tend to fall forward ALOT. So our spine is always in flexion and rarely in extension. This is why it's harder for us to do back bends. Our spine doesn't know this action very well although it should. Our spine is designed to move all sorts of ways - flex, extend, lateral, rotate and twist.
A good quote from Joseph Pilates states " A man is as young as his spinal column"
So because our spine is not used to back bending on a daily basis, you need to be very careful when going in that direction. Most yoga sequences will work with cobra, upward facing dog, slight back bends in tadasana, back bends in warrior I, back bends in some other postures, all before we even attempt a movemet like Wheel/Urdhva Dhanurasana.
You can't just flip into it, and if you do and continue you do to so, you will slip a disc!! So be mindful of your precious spine during yoga practice. And also remember you do not always have to do advanced postures in class.
Sometimes I will drop to childs pose or choose an easier option when everyone else is in downward facing dog or some inversion/backbend. Listen to your body!
We will look into the deep anatomy of wheel at a later stage.
Okay back to Cobra anatomy!
Spine:
- Is in extension
- Muscles used to extend the spine : Spinal Extensors & Serratus Posterior Superior
- Muscles to help keep the spine safe so it doesn't over extend: Psoas minor & abdominal muscles (front of the body)
Legs:
- Legs straight point back, engaged
- We use our hamstrings & adductor (inner thigh) muscles to internally rotate the hip
- Glutes turn on
- While our soleus (on our calf) muscle works to flex the ankle
- But we always keep our hips planted to the ground in this posture
Upper Body:
- Muscles used in holding our upper body in place - serratus anterior as seen in green below
- Our rotator cuffs stabilize our shoulder joint in this asana and in general (these are really easily torn/injured so always be mindful of your ickle shoulder joint!!)
- Triceps help extend our biceps! We all know where our triceps are?? Behind our upper arm. Where bingo wings live 😏
- Your forearms should stay parellel to one another and ensure elbows are by your side.
- Lastly our chest is forward, collar bones melting away from eachother, shoulders down away from ears and BREATHE!
It's such a yummy posture. And and can be held for a few breaths. No need to rush through it. I always love taking my first sun salutation super slowly to really feel each pose and allow the muscles to warm up with ease.
Cobra is always aligned with Knees, Chin & Chest. It's rare you will get a flow with Chaturanga to cobra. But if you have back issues, you could float through Chaturanga and bring yourself fully to the floor for cobra. Safest way is through knees chest chin > cobra!
Benefits:
- Energising
- Reduces stress & fatigue
- Strengthens the shoulders
Upward Facing Dog
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
(OOrd - vah - Moo - kah - Shvon - Ahs - Anna)
Whats the difference?
- Knees, thighs and hips lift off the mat
- Bigger emphasis on arms & wrist strength
- Stronger back bend
- Deeper opening of the chest
This asana will generally flow along with Chaturanga.
Knee, Chest, Chin > Cobra
Chaturanga > Upward facing dog
Muscles in the upper body are switched on the same as in our cobra, but we now include our wrist, lower arm along with a deeper back bend. So anyone with wrist issues, be careful here as you are putting a decent amount of weight into them.
Also the legs are engaged in the full expression including the hamstrings, glutes & quads 😍 #legday
You do have the option to keep thighs on the floor and just increase the bend using full arm extension or lift the knees, thighs and hips for a deeper bend.
So in your ususal yoga practice you will generally do about 2 or 3 Knees, chest, chin into cobra before you advance to chaturanga to upward facing dog once you have warmed up.
There is absolutely no reason why you can't complete your whole yoga practice with the cobra variation. I sometimes do a few chaturanga's and then begin to take a step back and follow cobra when my arms begin to fatigue a little. No shame. No comparison. Listen to your body.
Tips:
- Ensure shoulders away from ears (shoulder depression)
- Shoulder blades draw back (scapula retraction)
- Neck long
- Legs engaged (muscle contraction)
- Push through the tops of your feet
- Try focus on carrying the weight similar to Downward Facing Dog, in our finger tips/knuckles and less on the wrist!
- Breathe!!
Benefits of Upward facing dog:
- Improves posture
- Strengthens spine, wrists & arms
- Strengthsn glutes (bum muscle)
- Stimulates abdominal organs
- Can relieve stress
- Theraputic for asthma (open chest)
So that's as much detail as we are getting in today. I think that's plenty of anatomy for one post 😂
Let me know if you have any questions or queries about these postures.
This post was designed to help you understand the difference and why we do them.
Until next time,
Namaste.
Elisa ☆
References:
Cobra Snake
https://www.builtlean.com/2016/05/30/neutral-spine-posture/
http://yogaanatomy.net/
https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/spinal-lab-part-2/deck/779824
Yoga Anatomy - Ray Long
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