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Cobra Pose Vs Upward Dog – How Can You Tell The Differences? – Which One Is Better For You?

Backward bending poses include Urdhva Mukha Swanasana (upward facing dog) and Bhujangasana (low cobra). While most yoga students and teachers confuse these two poses, they are actually quite different.

Let’s Start With Their Similarities

• They’re both backbends
• Both of these positions are prone.
• Your toes are pointed, and the tops of your feet are pressed against the floor.
• Legs and glutes engaged
• Both hands are on the floor, the chest is raised, and the shoulder blades are engaged.

Upward Facing Dog Vs Cobra – What Is The Differences?

Body Parts Come Into Contact With The Mat

The tops of the feet, knees, thighs, pelvis, and hands all press down on the mat in Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana).

Only the tops of the feet and hands press down in Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) to lift the knees, thighs, and pelvis off the mat.

Arms Positioning

The hands are in front of the body in Cobra Pose, forming a diagonal line from the wrists to the shoulders. Arms are usually bent, but they can be completely straight for a deeper backbend. The hands and arms assist in lifting the upper body off the mat and bear the majority of the weight, which is significantly less than in Upward-Facing Dog. To properly line up the hands, bring them underneath the shoulders before lifting the upper body off the mat. Keep the elbows tucked in close to the body.

The hands are directly underneath the shoulders in Upward-Facing Dog, forming a straight line from the wrists to the shoulders. By lifting the upper and lower bodies (except the feet) off the mat, stacking the shoulders over the wrists helps to stabilize the body. Maintaining a micro bend in the elbows will assist in engaging more muscles in the shoulders and preventing the elbows from hyperextending. Before lifting up, place your hands on your mat at your sides, forming a 90-degree angle at the elbow. This position will assist you in keeping your wrists underneath your shoulders as you lift into Upward Facing Dog.

Depth Of Backbend

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) requires the pelvis to remain on the mat; the hands are the main areas of the body that dictate how far the spine extends (backbends). This pose has so many different levels of depth in the amount of bend that it is more easily attainable and safer for most yogis.

Baby Cobra (Ardha Bhujangasana) is a good pose to start. The hands do not come into contact with the mat; instead, they float just below the shoulders as you lift the chest using the muscles in your lower back and shoulders. If this is too simple, simply press your hands down onto the mat beneath your shoulders and lift your chest up until you have achieved the desired amount of backbend. The amount of bend in the arms is unimportant; what is important is that they do not splay out to the sides! Keep your elbows tucked in!

Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) is a deep backbend that I would not recommend to those who are just starting out. Because the arms are straight, there is already a significant bend in the back. Because you are lifting the body off the mat, the lower back is under more strain, and the shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands need more strength to support the body.

There is no way to reduce the amount of bending in the back without using a prop. You’ll need to increase the space between your hands and the mat to reduce the amount of bending. This can be accomplished by using a chair or by placing blocks beneath the hands. This will increase the amount of weight in the feet while decreasing the amount of bend and weight in the lower back!

Tips For Beginners

• For the time being, stick with cobra. There’s even a Baby Cobra Pose, which is a gentle version of the pose that teaches you how to align your body, cultivates the strength required, and gradually builds you up to Full Cobra Pose.
• Is your back hurting? If you are experiencing lumbar spine compression (which is very common!), ask your teacher to assist you in making adjustments and continue with cobra until you feel free of that pressure when you strike the pose.
• When in doubt, go with cobra. It’s a very powerful pose, and to be honest, you can hang there and get really strong in the arms, chest, upper and lower back without ever lifting your feet off the ground.

Which Is Better Between Cobra and Upward Dog?

Whichever pose allows you to open your chest with the strength of the rest of your body while not compressing any joints is the one for you. Typically, beginners learn cobra for a while before progressing to upward dog. All of the qualities listed in the graphic above are required: leg-lengthening, foot and hand pressing, arm and upper back activation, and stomach muscle toning. You should probably avoid Upward Facing Dog until you have cultivated those qualities in your practice and learned how to combine them all to open up fully in cobra.

Since the pose is repeated so frequently in a vinyasa flow, power yoga, or Asthanga vinyasa yoga class, many people practice it incorrectly and repeatedly. This causes grumpy backs, wrists, and shoulders, as well as repetitive strain injuries. Yoga injuries are the most difficult to treat. They take an eternity. So it’s best to take it easy and avoid them.

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