Hatha YogaCrow Pose
Bakāsana
Crow Pose, or Bakasana, is usually the first arm balance people learn: your knees press into your upper arms, your feet leave the floor, and your hands hold you up. In the app it's an advanced pose, and the Arm Balances: Path to Crow sequence builds up to it.
Success depends less on raw strength than on how you shift your weight and where you point your gaze.
How to do it
- EnterFrom a deep squat, place your palms on the floor shoulder-width apart. Press your knees into the backs of your upper arms, shift your weight forward, and lift your feet off the floor.
- HoldLook forward at the floor, not down beneath you. That is the key to balance. Arms slightly bent, knees pressing firmly into your upper arms, feet drawing toward your hips.
- ExitGently bring your feet back to the floor and return to a squat.
More detail
Begin in a deep squat, similar to Garland Pose. Place your palms shoulder-width apart, fingers spread, elbows bent slightly back. Come up onto the balls of your feet, press your knees as high as you can into the backs of your upper arms, and lean forward until your feet feel light.
Lift one foot first, then the other. A cushion or folded blanket on the floor in front of your face takes the edge off the fear of tipping over.
Benefits
The first arm balance for most practitioners: arm strength, core, and overcoming fear.
Crow builds strength in your arms and shoulders and teaches you to keep your center engaged. It's the foundation for other arm balances, such as Side Crow Pose.
Cautions
- Wrist injuries
- Fear of falling — a cushion in front of you helps
This site is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have pain, an injury, a chronic condition, or are pregnant, check with a qualified professional before practicing.
Common mistakes
- Looking down between your hands. Gaze forward at the floor, roughly 18 inches beyond your palms.
- Knees resting on your elbows instead of your upper arms. Bring your knees higher, up toward your armpits.
- Locking your arms straight. Slightly bent elbows create a shelf for your knees.
- Jumping instead of shifting your weight. Your feet should float up from the forward lean, not from a push off the floor.
Counterpose
Where it appears
- Arm Balances: Path to Crow 20 min · Advanced
- Advanced Intensive 35 min · Advanced
- Warm-up: Advanced Round Strength vinyasa: Crow Pose, an arm-supported backbend, and Standing Splits
Similar poses
Questions
How long should I hold Crow? The pose card in the app says 15 seconds. As a beginner, a few seconds is plenty: several short attempts do more for you than one long hold.
Why do I keep falling forward? Your weight has traveled too far ahead. Put a cushion in front of you and practice lifting one foot at a time.
What if my wrists hurt? If you have a wrist injury, skip this pose. Before practice, prepare your wrists, for example with a wrist warm-up, and spread your weight across your whole palm.
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