bhujaṅgāsana – part one

The cobra pose (bhujaṅgāsana). In Eastern symbolism the cobra is a symbol for Kundalini, our latent potential. The most powerful and fearsome snake is the cobra. Its deadly poison means instant death, yet its ability to shed its skin symbolizes renewal and resurrection. The Ouroboros, the mythological figure of a snake biting its own tail, is a symbol of self-renewing power in many cultures. It represents fertility, birth and death; wisdom and temptation; good and evil; the paradox of the struggle of life.[1]

“Joseph Campbell writes in The Masks of God: Primitive Mythology: ‘The supporting energy and substance of the universe, and consequently of the individual, is imaged in India in the figure of the serpent. And the yogi is the master of this power.’”[2]

Phonetic pronunciation: bu*-jung-gah-suh-nuh (*u as in “put”)[3]

bhujaṅga = snake
āsana = pose

This pose will help with your spine and heart consciousness. It is the strength of the spine and its structures of support in the back that lift us up to observe the world. As we rise up to be seen, the willingness to open our heart to the world yields a beautiful vulnerability mixed with the confidence of our power that invites us to watch and wait while the world around us moves as it will move; and, we remain watchful, aware, mindfully present in our potential for right action in each moment.

Basic Instructions[4]

• Lie facedown on the floor with your hands alongside the chest in a pushup position
• Your hands are placed with fingertips in line with the top of the shoulders
• Be sure to spread your fingers fully and have the middle fingers pointing straight ahead
• Align your center first: Pull the abdominal muscles inward, contract the buttocks, and press your hips and pubis into the floor
• Press the tops of your feet firmly into the floor, tightening the thighs, and stretching straight backward through your legs and feet
• Roll the shoulders up, away from the floor, your forehead still resting on the floor
• Move the elbows inward toward one another so the shoulders roll up away from the floor
• And move the shoulders backward, away from the ears, toward the elbows
• While lifting your upper body through engagement of your back muscles
• The above action will open your chest, lengthen the back of your neck, and make your upper arms parallel with one another
• You are using the strength of your back to lift, not the strength of your arms
• Resist pushing up with you hands
• You’ll feel the skin on the back of your upper arms moving toward the elbows
• Sustain this action throughout the pose
• Continue hugging inward with the elbows
• Snuggle your palms into the floor
• The forearms should stay parallel to each other for the best alignment of action through the arms into the spine[5]
• Establish a smooth flowing breath and wait for the inner cue to proceed
• As you exhale, come down
• Go up and down slowly, coordinating movement with breath: Inhale up; hold while establishing a smooth flowing breath; exhale down
• Do this at least five times
• Resting with your head turned to one side between each repetition

Moving in and Out of Backbends[6]

• As you come out of a backbend, continue the action of the backbend so that as you begin to come out.
• Your sense of elongation and support will carry on as you slowly lower down.
• After you have come fully out of the pose, spend time scanning your body, feeling not only the effects of the pose, but noticing where you have created any difficulty of jamming so that the next time you can make the pose more even.
• In the beginning it is much better to repeat the backbends more often than to hold them for a long period of time. This will let your body warm up sufficiently, without making your muscles lock or harden around your spine in order to protect it.
• In general, move into and out of backbends gradually and mindfully.

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[1] From Hatha Yoga, The Hidden Language, by Swami Sivananda Radha (Timeless Books, 2007), pp. 143 & 148.
[2] Hatha Yoga, The Hidden Language, by Swami Sivananda Radha (Timeless Books, 2007), p. 143.
[3] Stick figure instructions, pronunciation, and translation provided by Asana Learning Deck, by Mikelle Terson, http://www.yogablossom.com/
[4] Modified from Yoga, The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness, by Erich Schiffman (Pocket Books, 1996), pp. 205 – 208.
[5] Yoga Anatomy, by Leslie Kaminoff (Human Kinetics, 2007), p. 165.
[6] Moving Toward Balance, by Rodney Yee with Nina Zolotow (Rodale, Inc., 2004), p. 127.