How to Safely perform Crow and crane pose - Bakasana an easy Beginners tutorial

Yoga crow and Crane poses explained step by step for beginners level yoga practice 

• Sanskrit Name                                    : Kakasana aka Bakasana
• English Name                                     : Crow pose
• Yoga style                                           : Hatha
• Difficult Level                                     : Intermediate/Advanced
• Duration                                             : 15 seconds to 30 seconds
• Body Position                                     : Arm Balance,Inversion and Strength
• Chakras Activation                             : Manipura Chakra (Solar Plexus)
• Muscles Used                                      : Upper Back,Middle Back,Biceps and Triceps
• Followup Pose                                     : Chaturanga Dandasana and Salamba Sirsasana II
• Variations                                             : Parsva Bakasana and Eka Pada Bakasana
• Starting pose                                        : Vajrasana/virasana or Balasana
• Benefits                                                : Arms/wrist strength,shoulder and core strength
• Props used                                            : Yoga mat,Yoga Blocks and Blanket
• Similar pose                                          : Crane Pose
• Who should avoid                                 : Pregnant Women and High blood pressure.

Video credits to Yoga With Adriene youtube channel

What is Crow Pose or Bakasana ?

• The word "Bakasana" in Sanskrit "Baka" means crane asana means pose , its also known as Crow pose or Kakasana.
• This Pose is referred as bird or crow because it resembles a posture of bird.
• According to BKS Iyengar , there are two methods of Crow pose,

1.Simple method ,where you push from Crouching position
2.Advanced method is dropping down from Head stand.

How to do crow pose/Bakasana for beginners ?

• Spread your fingers wide and relaxed and place your hands them shoulder width apart, make sure you hands are bend position.
• Gradually lean forward with steady balance with eyes looking forward  ,then bring your knees closer to your armpits.
• Try to carry all your weight on your hands with still toes on the floor grounded.
• Use your knees to press against your arms and lift your butt slowly from ground by arm balance.
• During your crow pose focus on breath with eyes concentrating forward in a fixed point.

What are the Variations of Crow pose bakasana ?

1. Parsva Bakasana (Side Crane Pose)
2. Eka Pada Bakasana/Kakasana (One-Legged Crane/Crow Pose)
3. Eka Pada Koundiyanasana I (Sage Koundinya Pose I)
4. Eka Pada Koundiyanasana II (Sage Koundinya Pose II)

1. Parsva Bakasana (Side Crane Pose)

2. Eka Pada Bakasana/Kakasana (One-Legged Crane/Crow Pose)

3. Eka Pada Koundiyanasana I (Sage Koundinya Pose I)

4. Eka Pada Koundiyanasana II (Sage Koundinya Pose II)

What are the Benefits of performing Crow/Crane Bakasana pose ?

• Build strength for your Arms,wrists,Abdomen (Core strength) and Shoulders.
• Helps you with advanced inverted hand stand pose with endurance.
• Improves your body awareness with mind,body and balancing both.
• Increase the upper body strength with strong shoulder.
• Boost your self esteem with confidence and happy mood.
• Good for flexibility and agility of body.
• Enhance your immune system for a healthy body.

Who should Avoid Crane/Crow bakasana pose ?

• People with arm injury,carpal tunnel syndrome and wrist injury must avoid this pose , because it requires more hand strength for performing these pose.
• Pregnant women must avoid these kind of inverted poses ,it can be more harmful for fetus as well as the mother.
• If you have high blood pressure or any medical history its better to consult with your doctor or healthcare professional before performing these poses.
• you can also try crane yoga pose with Chair Yoga therapy by using chair as prop to balance in the handle to perform the bakasana modified pose.

What are the things to remember before start performing Crow or crane yoga pose ?

• Make sure the surface your performing the crane yoga pose is dry and not slippery, if  its slippery may cause physical injury during practice.
• Try to Master the Yoga pose with correct form and postural technique without any flaw.
• If you can ,then do these advanced poses after joining in a proper yoga class with expert yoga instructor to teach and guide you with your pose.
• If you felt any strain during your pose ,better take rest and breaks in between to ease into your practise.
• Use necessary yoga props for comfortable and safe yoga session.
• Look forward with a fixed point in front of you concentrate and focus during the crow pose.

Whats the Difference between Crane and Crow yoga pose ?

• Bakasana vs Kakasana some people are may wonder what the difference between both the Crane pose vs Crow yoga pose , because both the yoga poses looks the same.
• The main difference between both the crane and crow pose is hand position, in crow yoga pose the hand will be bent ,whereas in the crane yoga pose the hand will be straight position.
• comparing both the similar poses crow pose (kakasana) is considered to be less difficult or easier to perform than the Crane pose (Bakasana) ,which is little more advanced than the crow due to straight hand holding the full mass of the body.
• If you want to reduce your age with yoga ,then you might like to see my post on Face Yoga exercise to reduce up to 3 years of age.