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Yoga is a series of various postures called ‘Asanas’ and breathing exercises. Each one of those Asanas and breathing exercises has been specifically designed to help a certain part of the body or a health condition.

The Cobra posture is a popular asana and it is always practiced as precedence to the Locust posture. The Sanskrit name for the Cobra Posture is “Bhujanga Asana” where ‘Bhujanga’ means serpent or snake. In the Cobra Posture, our back-bone is arched backward gently to promote flexibility in the body. The Cobra posture is believed to provide a youthful appearance and makes child birth easy.

The Cobra posture improves the flexibility of our body. It also rejuvenates the spinal nerves and improves blood supply to the spinal region. The cobra posture much like the Locust posture activates and energizes the upper areas of our body like the chest, shoulders, neck, face and head, giving a youthful appearance. It also helps in various digestive troubles like constipation, indigestion and increases appetite. The posture is especially beneficial for women as it helps relieve problems of the uterus and ovaries and many menstrual problems.

The Cobra Posture is a series of various postures and breathing exercise. It is performed in the following way:

First relax your body and mind. Then lie down straight on your stomach and keep your palms on the floor below your shoulder blades and your elbows should be touching the middle part of your body. Now, bend your head and neck backwards.

Then take a deep breath and raise your head and chest upwards, above your naval area. Your legs should be held together tightly. Stay in this position for about 6 seconds while holding your breath.

Now lower your head towards the floor while exhaling simultaneously. Now relax your body for about 6 seconds with your left cheek on the floor. Now you have completed one round of the “Cobra Posture”.

You can start practicing the Cobra Posture by doing three rounds on the first day and you can increase it to a maximum of four rounds. You can increase the retaining period of the position gradually from 6 seconds to 1 minute as you practice the Cobra posture regularly. You must always take rest for sometime between each round. But remember that this posture is not for pregnant women and you should never practice the cobra posture in pregnancy. But, this asana is an excellent way to prepare our body for pregnancy.