In short: cobra pose is a gentle-to-moderate backbend done lying on the belly: the legs stay on the floor, the hands press beside the chest and the head and chest lift and curve back like a cobra raising its hood. It strengthens the back muscles and opens the front of the body. Lift only as high as you can without a pinch in the lower back; the smaller “low cobra” is often the better choice.
Cobra is one of the first backbends most people learn. It sits in the Sivananda twelve basic asanas, in the 12-position sun salutation and in many flowing classes as a softer alternative to upward-facing dog. Below we explain the name, the cues that keep the lower back comfortable, the precautions, the low cobra variation and where the pose is taught.
The name: the serpent pose
The Sanskrit name is Bhujaṅgāsana. B.K.S. Iyengar glosses bhujaṅga as serpent and describes lifting the trunk and taking the head back “like a serpent about to strike”; the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and Yoga Journal also translate it as cobra or snake. Light on Yoga calls this pose Bhujangasana I, because it also lists a much deeper Bhujangasana II, an advanced prone backbend in which the hands reach back to hold the knees, taught as a preparation for Rajakapotasana. When a class says “cobra”, it means the pose on this page.
How to make cobra work
The lift comes mostly from the back, with the hands as helpers. The Bihar School asks you to raise the head, neck and shoulders using the back muscles first and the arms second, and to keep the pubic bone on the floor; Sivananda teaches a slow roll up, “vertebra by vertebra”, starting with the forehead and nose. Keep the legs active and long: Yoga Journal’s cue is to press all ten toenails into the floor and roll the inner thighs up, which helps the lower back feel broad rather than pinched. Keep the buttocks fairly relaxed.
Draw the shoulders back and down, away from the ears, and lift the breastbone rather than throwing the chin up. How far you straighten the arms is up to your back, not your ambition: the Bihar School notes the arms may be straight or bent depending on flexibility, and Yoga Journal suggests keeping at least a slight bend in the elbows. If you feel compression in the lower back, come down a little, widen the feet, or move to sphinx pose. Hold times vary by school: about 20 seconds in Light on Yoga, 10 to 60 seconds in the Sivananda method, repeated two or three times.
Precautions in plain words
Cobra should never hurt the lower back. Stay lower if you feel pinching, and skip the pose or ask a teacher if you have a recent back or neck injury. The Bihar School advises people with peptic ulcer, hernia or hyperthyroidism to practise it only with a competent teacher. Lying on the belly is usually avoided in pregnancy; ask your midwife or doctor, and use a standing wall version instead. If your wrists are sore, work in sphinx with the forearms down.
Low cobra (baby cobra): the smaller range
Low cobra, also called baby cobra, is the same pose with only a small lift. Lie on the belly with the hands under or just beside the shoulders, press the tops of the feet down and lift the head and upper chest just a few inches, using the back muscles while the hands rest lightly (you can even hover them off the floor for a moment to check). The elbows stay bent and close to the ribs, the neck stays long and the gaze is down or just ahead. Yoga Journal recommends baby cobra as a warm-up before upward-facing dog, and the Sivananda method includes a version with the hands lifted to test back strength. “Low cobra” and “baby cobra” are modern descriptive names, not separate Sanskrit postures. It is a good choice for beginners, for stiff backs and in flowing sequences where you meet cobra many times.
Preparation and what comes next
Warm the spine with cat-cow and sphinx pose. Cobra is often followed by locust and bow (the Sivananda order), or by upward-facing dog as your back opens. Afterwards, rest in child’s pose or push back to downward-facing dog.
Where it is taught
Cobra is the first backbend of the Sivananda twelve basic asanas, position seven of the 12-position sun salutation taught by the Bihar School, and part of hatha, Iyengar, vinyasa and the 26-posture hot yoga sequence. Ashtanga’s sun salutations use upward-facing dog instead.
