How to: Crow Pose (Bakasana).
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Crow pose is arguably the foundation for all other arm balances out there. Whether you practice with your elbows outside your triceps, hiked into your armpits or a seated variation - this pose will be building out your kinesiology and affirming the pattern of this posture into your muscular-nervous system complex.
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Stage 1
If Bakasana is the foundation for all arm balances, your hands (apart from in forearm stand) are the foundation for Bakasana. Think about the fact that our feet have evolved to hold our weight - our hands haven’t done this in the same way! So to help build out your awareness and ability in your hands, every time you place your hands on the mat - whether that’s in Plank, Down Dog or All Fours - be really intentional about how you’re placing your hands down. Over time it will become less and less necessary to be so specific with your hand placement as it will become habitual.
Stage 2
Building our pose form the ground up - arms are next on the menu. Those strong Chaturanga arms are what creates the shelf for your knees to land on. When you energetically pull your arms back you’re creating a strong connection between your knees and your upper arms. The stronger that connection, the easier it will be to float forward.
Stage 3
You’ve got your foundation built, now comes time to FLY! Rather than thinking about lifting your feet, rather focus your Dristi forward and shift you weight in the same direction. the ability to lift off in Crow comes from the structural reality of your hips (which are your centre of gravity) stacking over your balance point - your hands! So move forwards and allow either or both feet to leave the earth as a result.
Fancy learning more? Leave a comment below and let me know which posture you’d like in the lab next!
