Practicing Cobra yoga pose every day can have several benefits, such as lengthening and strengthening muscles, reducing symptoms of depression, and improving self-esteem.
Few yoga poses are as accessible and holistic as Cobra pose. Known in Sanskrit as Bhujangasana, Cobra pose is one of the few poses taught at all levels and styles of yoga.
Cobra is a type of backbend pose that involves arching your spine backward, also referred to as spinal extension.
Moving in this direction is helpful in counteracting all the forward motions and more rounded shapes that many of us do throughout the day, partly due to using computers and other devices so frequently.
Although the Cobra is commonly woven into the Sun Salutation warm-up sequence, it is a powerful pose in its own right and one we should all try to do at least once a day.
How to do the cobra pose (Bhujangasana):
Lie on your stomach. Separate your feet and legs hip-width apart. Point your toes so the tops of your feet are on the floor.
Bend your elbows and place your hands on the floor near your ribs, stacking your wrist and elbow.
On an inhale, begin to lift your chest off the floor, lifting it into spinal extension.
Low Cobra: Keep your belly low to the floor and elbows bent. Look straight ahead or down towards your cheeks. If your lower back is sore or you have neck pain, stay here.
Full Cobra: Once your belly is entirely off the floor and you are on your pubic bone, keep pushing your arms up (without locking your elbows!). Look straight ahead, which will help keep your neck long.
Muscles worked and stretched in Cobra pose
In many yoga poses, when one side of the body is stretched, the opposite side is strengthened. Generally, backbends tend to lengthen the muscles in the front of the body while toning the muscles in the back.
Muscles stretched in the Cobra pose:
- tops of the feet or ankle dorsiflexors
- hip flexors
- abdominal muscles
- pectoral muscles
- biceps and brachialis
- cervical flexors on the front of the neck
Muscles used in Cobra pose:
- hamstrings
- gluteus maximus (although we recommend not contracting the glutes, as this could lead to compression of the lower back)
- spinal extensors, especially the spinal erectors
- upper back muscles, such as the rhomboids and middle trapezius
- triceps
6 Benefits of Cobra Pose Backed by Science
Because Cobra pose is often performed in a series of asanas, there is very little research on it as a single exercise. Many of the benefits listed below are not just related to Cobra Pose but to a yoga practice that includes Cobra Pose.
1. It can reduce symptoms of depression:
A 2017 study found a statistically significant improvement in symptoms in people suffering from mild to moderate depression after taking part in an 8-week Hatha yoga program that included practicing Cobra pose twice a week.
Overall, research suggests that sustained or long-term yoga practice helps improve depressive symptoms.
Cobra pose has been specifically associated with the “sensation of lifting and elevation” due to the stretch involved in the pose.
2. It can relieve lower back pain:
A 2020 review of several studies examining yoga’s effect on low back pain found a statistically significant improvement in symptoms.
According to one such study, doing yoga for 12 weeks, which included the Cobra pose, improved self-reported lower back pain and the anxiety that accompanies chronic pain.
The study mentioned that physical changes to the intervertebral discs, as measured by MRI, were not statistically significant enough to report, but participants’ reported experiences with pain relief were worth noting.
Because Cobra Pose is so accessible, it might be a more affordable option for treatment than or in addition to medication or physical therapy.
3. It can improve self-esteem:
Studies reveal that yoga practitioners’ self-esteem significantly improves, in addition to the fact that many practice it to relieve stress and anxiety.
This may be true even from a young age, as a small 2019 study found a significant improvement in self-esteem in school-age children after practicing yoga daily for 4.5 months.
According to a small 2020 study, yoga may be especially helpful for today’s teens.
Teens are more likely to experience depression and loneliness overall, which is probably caused by their increased use of social media, which lowers their self-esteem.
The study found that participants who practiced yoga had improved emotional regulation and self-esteem compared to those who did not practice yoga.
4. It can reduce inflammation:
One common side effect of long-term medical conditions like cancer and different types of arthritis is inflammation.
A study conducted in 2014 on 200 breast cancer survivors found that after doing a 90-minute yoga class twice a week for 12 weeks, which included the Cobra pose, the participants’ inflammation levels significantly improved.
Even more recently, after practicing yoga, including the Cobra pose, five times a week for eight weeks, participants in a study of rheumatoid arthritis patients reported significant improvements in inflammation and other symptoms.
5. It can improve sleep:
While backbends are anecdotally thought to be energizing poses, many studies have shown that people’s quality of sleep improved after doing backbends, especially those who practiced Cobra pose every day.
A small 2017 study discovered that for women with type 2 diabetes, 12 weeks of yoga—which included the Cobra pose—outperformed 12 weeks of aerobic activity in terms of improving sleep.
And in a 2014 study, 18 weeks of regular yoga practice that included Cobra pose helped menopausal women experience better sleep.
6. It can improve posture:
Since many of us sit at work every day and then look at our phones or other devices at night, our posture often suffers. Regularly practicing spinal extension exercises like Cobra Pose can help counteract problems like forward head posture or drooping shoulders.
Tips for getting the most out of practicing Cobra Pose
While Cobra Pose is technically considered a “bend” of the back, the goal is not to fold your back in half like a playing card, but rather to create a long, smooth arc.
Your spine is a series of curves. Two parts, the neck (cervical spine) and the lower back (lumbar spine), naturally arch towards the front of the body. This is called the lordotic curve.
Those parts of the spine are usually already highly flexible when it comes to bending or extending backward.
When you come into Cobra pose, be sure to lengthen your neck and lower back. This will not only protect vulnerable areas from excessive arching, but may also help you bend backwards further, as you won’t get stuck.
Other considerations:
Make sure the tops of your feet are on the ground and your ankles are straight and not sickled.
Raise as you inhale and lower as you exhale.
If your lower back is sore or you have neck pain, hold Low Cobra Pose.
Engaging your belly can help protect your lower back.
Create a push/pull effect with your hands instead of simply pushing down, which can compress your trapezius and compress your neck. As you push down, gently pull your hands towards you (keeping them in place on the floor) to lengthen your chest forward.
Keep your gaze straight ahead, or even down, to encourage your neck to lengthen.
You can practice Cobra dynamically, i.e. raising and lowering with your breath, or statically, i.e. holding yourself in a vertical position for a certain number of breaths.
The bottom line:
Numerous advantages exist for the body and mind in cobra pose. Similar to the proverb “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” we should think about practicing Cobra every day.