In short: crocodile pose is a resting pose on the belly. The legs stretch out a little apart, the forearms are folded under the head and the forehead rests on them, so the upper chest lifts slightly off the floor. Because the belly presses on the floor, you feel each breath widen the lower back and the sides of the waist, which makes it a favourite pose for learning relaxed breathing.
Crocodile pose is quieter than most belly-down poses: there is no lifting and no effort, only resting and breathing. It is used between backbends such as cobra and locust, as a place to rest when lying on the back is uncomfortable, and as a pose for breath training. The name, though, means different shapes in different schools, so it is worth knowing which one your teacher has in mind.
The name and its different versions
The Sanskrit name is Makarāsana, from makara, a sea creature usually translated as crocodile, and āsana, posture (see what asana means). The oldest description is in the Gheranda Samhita, the 17th-century hatha text, which, as quoted in Light on Yoga, describes lying face down with the chest on the ground, the legs stretched out and the head held in the arms; the text says it increases bodily heat.
Today three versions share the name. The resting version on this page, with the forehead on folded forearms, is taught by Yoga International (from the Himalayan Institute tradition) and by Yoga Journal, which stacks the hands under the forehead instead. The Bihar School of Yoga lifts the head and shoulders and rests the chin in the palms with the elbows on the floor, a shape close to sphinx pose. And in Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar presents Makarasana as an active variation of locust: the fingers are interlocked behind the head and the chest and legs are lifted off the floor. If a class calls for crocodile and starts lifting, it is probably the Iyengar version. Yin teachers use “crocodile” for something else again, a forearm plank used as a short active counterpose.
How to make it work
Lie face down and spread the legs about shoulder-width apart. Yoga International turns the toes out and the heels in, but says a few people are more comfortable the other way round; choose whichever lets the legs and buttocks relax. Fold the arms, hold each elbow with the opposite hand and rest the forehead on the forearms. Now draw the elbows in toward you just enough that the upper chest and shoulders lift slightly while the belly and lower ribs stay on the floor. That small lift is what makes the pose work: the chest stays fairly still, so the breath moves into the belly, the lower back and the sides of the waist.
Close your eyes and watch the breath. As you inhale, the belly presses into the floor and the lower back rises a little; as you exhale, everything sinks back. Yoga International suggests 5 to 10 minutes or more when the pose is used for breath training; between other poses, a minute or two is plenty. Our guide to diaphragmatic breathing explains the same pattern in other positions.
To come out, slide the arms down by your sides, turn the head to one side and rest for a breath or two, then press back into child’s pose or roll onto your back.
Precautions in plain words
If drawing the elbows in strains the neck or upper back, move the elbows further forward so the chest is lower, or uncross the arms and stack the hands under the forehead. A thin folded blanket under the upper chest takes pressure off the shoulders. Lying on the belly is not suitable in pregnancy once the belly is growing; use side-lying rest instead. The Bihar version with the chin in the hands is a mild backbend, so with a lower-back problem start with the flat resting version. The Iyengar version is a strong back-strengthening pose and needs the same care as locust. This page is general information, not individual advice.
Preparation, what comes next and where it is taught
No preparation is needed. Crocodile pose works well between belly-down backbends: rest here after cobra, locust or bow pose. Afterwards, child’s pose gently rounds the back the other way. You will meet it in hatha classes, in the Himalayan Institute tradition, in Bihar School (Satyananda) teaching and in restorative sequences. Browse more resting poses in the pose library.
