Kakasana: The Crow Posture

Yoga has a motive to achieve balance. Balance in life is important- be it physical, mental or emotional balance and equilibrium. The balancing asanas make us light and give us strength. They also improve the posture, focus and self esteem. These help to make the mind and nervous system calm. Balancing our whole weight on arms is beneficial.

Assuming the posture of a crow by supporting our weight on the hands and keeping the body compact and close to the ground gives us an opportunity to free ourselves from our usual patterns of locomotion and our habitual strategies for managing the body with respect to gravity.

Achieving this new sense of balance in the crow pose improves coordination and develops strength and flexibility. The wrists, arms, and shoulders are particularly benefited—they are not only stretched and strengthened, but also energised. This posture is especially stimulating to both the nervous system and the circulatory system in the upper limbs and torso. The pose imparts confidence in the ability of the arms to support the weight of the body, and it gives a sense of lifting and control through the pelvis and abdomen. This is vital for good health and for the performance of many other asanas as well as a variety of pranayama practices.

The crow pose can be challenging, but with the right technique and a bit of strength and flexibility it’s fun to try. It takes a measure of strength in the arms and shoulders, but it is not as difficult as it looks. The sun salutation is a good practice for developing strength and flexibility in the shoulders, as well as the whole-body integration required for balance. What is more, attempting the crow pose with stiff, weak arms and shoulders can result in wrist strain, and the downward- and upward-facing dog poses (which are part of the sun salutation) strengthen the wrists. Even so, those with wrist injuries or problems will want to work carefully with this pose, or avoid it in favour of balance poses that don’t extend the wrists, such as the headstand or the forearm balance.

Other factors that limit the crow pose are hip flexibility and lower abdominal strength, and with that in mind, the following postures can help prepare you for the posture.e of the arm balances that is easiest to master.