Bakasana – Crow or Crane

Names

Bakasana, Kakasana, Kagasana, Crow, Crane

How to perform Bakasana

Squat down with your feet a few inches apart from each other.

If you can, touch your buttocks with your heels. Open your knees apart and place your hands in front of your feet with the elbows in between your knees. They should be hip-wide apart from each other.

In the next step you bend your elbows and place your knees on your upper arm, on the triceps. Now slowly shift your body weight onto your arms, slowly lift your heels and with exhalation come on your toes. Bit by bit you shift your weight further and lift your toes from the floor.

Lean more and more on your hands, lift your buttocks higher and try to straighten your arms. Look to the front and smile. If you do this pose in front of a mirror, you will be surprised how good it looks!

Benefits of Bakasana

Performing the crow pose of course strengthens your whole arms from the wrist and the lower arms to the upper arms, shoulders and neck. The whole upper back benefits from it. If you practice the crane posture regularly, you will less likely have tension and pain in your upper back and the region of your neck and shoulders.

Your respiratory system is stimulated and prompted to its proper functions and your abdomen organs experience a nice massage. It is even helpful for problems with diabetes.

Focus Points

Of course, just like every other balance pose, it takes some practice to be able to hold this posture for longer than a second. Whoever practices however gets more and more surety and will enjoy the posture more and more.

Open your palms completely and spread your fingers wide apart just like a crane or a crow to stand more securely and do the shifting of your body weight very slowly.
Choose a fixed point in front of you to look at in order to keep your balance.

Tips and Help

Kids just love this pose just like to many balancing poses. If you do it with small children, better place a blanket in front of them to that they don’t hurt their heads if they fall to the front. Tell them to pretend they are crows or cranes and how they stand.

When to Avoid Bakasana

You should avoid this yoga pose if you have joints pain, especially in your wrists, elbows or shoulders.

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