14/10/2021
A few tips on Cobra pose 😁
Often we overuse our hands rather than our spinal extensors and sometimes we can jar into the lower back too much! So....🤔
1.) You don’t have to lift so high in Cobra pose.🤗
2.) If we draw our hands down a little lower by the ribs then this helps to stop putting too much weight onto our hands.
3.) Try to imagine you are gently encouraging your torso through your arms at the same time encourage your hands to draw back to the heels- an isometric action which will also encourage the lats to engage.
4.) Lifting our hands off the mat is a little test to see if our spinal extensors are engaged and that we are not using our hands too much!
5.) Think about the shoulders rolling back, elbows hugging to the ribs but at the same time try not to pinch in between the shoulder blades but find space. 😊
6.) Press thighs, knees and shins down into the mat and don’t get too caught up by the angle of the pelvis.
7.) Try not to overuse the cervical spine and let the head drop back, if anything...tuck the chin slightly. Lift from back of the head rather than the chin.
8.) Seal could be a good variation for you with the arms further apart.
9.) In Upward dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) make sure your arms are engaged, shoulders over wrists, drawing the shoulders down. Again pressing the shins and ankles into the mat, the hips will be slightly lifted off but quads need to be engaged.
We all have different shapes and different bodies...👍🏽Yoga is so individual. Not every cue works for everyone but here are a few tips you can try! 🤩