Are you doing the cobra pose wrong? Here are 7 common mistakes you are likely to commit

Cobra pose is a classic pose that strengthens your legs and hips, and focuses on increasing the strength of the upper body. Cobra pose aka bhujangasana is the eighth part of yoga postures that come under surya namaskar or sun salutation. If done properly, even a little time spent doing the cobra pose can give you long-term benefits. 

But all you yoginis, are you sure that you’re doing the cobra posa the right way? Well, having a misaligned pose can lead to lower back pain, neck problems, and shoulder issues. So, it is necessary that you do the cobra pose properly. 

Let’s take a look at the common mistakes everyone tends to make: 

1. Your hand is placed wrongly

Cobra pose has a lot to do with hand movements, so while lifting your chest and head upward from the floor, you need to be careful with your hand placement i.e. if your hands are kept too far from each other, then you might end up locking your shoulder towards your ears. This will only restrict the stretching of your chest, and you might feel stuff around your neck. 

2. You’re trying to lift your upper body

Have you ever wondered the difference between cobra pose and the upward-facing dog pose? Well, the major difference is that in the cobra pose you don’t need to lift your hips from the floor. You must have seen people trying to hard lift their chest, but they unconsciously lift their hips too. It’s not about how high you go with your upper body, but it’s about your spinal extension. So, go slow with your lower back.

3. You might be locking your elbows

Instead of having bent and relaxed arms, people keep their arms straight, which can lead the elbows to lock and block your shoulders. As a result, your shoulder motion decreases and you can feel a stretch in your spine. And here, you should stop doing the bhujangasana, otherwise it can reverse the result. 

4. Your leg spacing is incorrect

You might be holding your feet too close, in order to induce pressure on your feet to get help in lifting your upper body. But that’s wrong, because the wide distance between your legs may cause more harm than good. Try to put your legs close, hip-distance apart to avoid unnecessary pressure on your other body parts.

5. You’re not doing the neck movement right

Another common mistake is overextending your neck. This happens when you stretch too hard, and you forget to keep a soft curve in your neck. It also causes difficulty in breathing, so avoid jamming your neck and do not overextend your neck backwards. 

6. You’re hurting your lower back

If you’re trying to go too high, then you are going to end up crunching your lower back. Lift yourself to a point, where your thighs remain on the floor and it doesn’t cause any pressure to your lower back. Of course, we are not really conscious about these mistakes, but general practice will help us to get it right. 

7. You’re not lifting your chest

The cobra pose stretches the chest, and strengthens your spine and shoulders. It often happens that we put force on the shoulder and forget to get help from the chest area. It’s important to stretch the chest also, as it plays a significant role in the cobra pose. Your incorrect placement can be the cause of it. 

Cobra pose is easy enough to perform, you just have to be careful not to repeat these common mistakes to obtain its benefits.