Crow pose is normally the first arm balance that students learn when beginning their practice. It involves the basic foundation for most arm balances in yoga, so it is smart to understand the elements of crow to be able to move on. Crow pose is a very fun pose, once you finally get the hang of it, and can allow for many more modifications and add-ons once you’re really comfortable – including headstands and jumpbacks! This is a pose that does require a balance of strength and flexibility, so it is best to always warm up with sun-salutations A and B (Surya Namaskara) and Malasana – pictured below – to help warm your body and hips up.
Not only does crow pose build incredible strength in your wrists, forearms, shoulders and abdominals, it builds confidence too! Once you can get over not falling on your face, you’ll begin to feel much more comfortable going upside down in any pose!
Alright, now let’s get down to it. Where do you start? First, start at the top of your mat in Mountain pose, with your arms at your sides and your feet about hip width distance apart. Drop down in between your legs, coming into a wide legged squat (malasana). From here, you can take your time in this pose, opening up your hips or get right into the pose.
Bring your hands to the mat, and begin to raise your hips high enough that you can place your knees on your triceps, drawing them as close to your underarms as possible. From there, lift onto the balls of your feet and draw your bellybutton to your tailbone, drawing in your abdominals as firmly as possible. Make sure your gaze is as far in front of your mat as possible! If it’s any lower, balance becomes much more difficult. As you continue to lean forward, lift one or both feet off the floor and draw your heels towards your butt. Balance your torso and legs on the back of your upper arms.
Once your balanced, begin to press the floor away from you and straighten your elbows keeping your forearms drawn into the midline of your body to keep balance. Touch your toes together, and draw in your belly. KEEP BREATHING!
Modifications:
If you find it difficult to get your toes off of the floor, try using a block beneath your feet. Using a block helps to bring the floor closer to you, making it easier to lean forward and access the pose.
Like I said before, if you’re more comfortable in the pose, you can start to learn how to jump from crow to chaturanga. If you’re trying to access this, from your crow pose, lean as forward as you can and shoot your legs back, leaning in a low pushup position. From there, go into your upward facing dog and back to downward dog. This is a chataruanga.
on and off the mat 