Home Blogs Cobra And Upward Facing Dog Pose For Maintaining A Healthy Back

Cobra And Upward Facing Dog Pose For Maintaining A Healthy Back

Although at face value the Cobra Pose and Upward facing dog pose may seem identical they are both unique. Both poses offer similar health benefits but there are some differences. Apart from this the Upward Dog Pose is good as a follow up to the Cobra Pose. I shall point out some of the similarities and differences in the poses. These differences exist in both the execution of the poses as well as in the benefits that they offer.

Sequence:

Both poses require the practitioner to lie prone on the flooring. Stretch your legs back completely, with the upper portion of your feet touching the floor while the soles face upwards. While the Cobra Pose simply requires that your hands are spread on the floor just below the shoulders, with the elbows hugging back towards your body, the Upward Facing Dog Pose requires you to bend your elbows, while spreading the palms on the floor aligned with your waist. This makes your forearms perpendicular to the floor.

In the Cobra Pose you also need to keep your thighs, pelvis and tops of the feet pressed firmly into the floor. The differences between the two poses are increased for this reason as it also affects the manner in which you raise your body into the posture while inhaling.

Another difference in the execution of the postures is that when firming the shoulder blades against the back the Upward Facing Dog Pose requires that your gaze is directed directly ahead or the neck should be tipped back a little.

Apart from including it in yoga routines the Upward Facing Dog Pose can also be performed individually. The Upward Facing Dog Pose helps improve posture, strengthens the arms and wrists and can help relieve mild depression. The Cobra Pose on the other hand opens out the heart and lungs. Both poses however are particularly beneficial for strengthening the spine, stretching the chest, shoulders, abdomen and lungs. They also help to stimulate the abdominal organs and act as a therapeutic for asthma.

Both poses are vital for maintaining a healthy back and they are even more relevant for us today. Back problems are on the rise with the stressful and sedentary lifestyles we lead taking their toll on us physically and mentally leaving is hunched over our computers or slouching. At other times we are often over stretching the back. Back bending postures like these counteract the damage done to our body through the course of our every day routines.

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