Bhujangasana
Bhujangasana (
Etymology and origins
The name Bhujangasana comes from the Sanskrit words भुजंग bhujaṅga, "snake" and आसन āsana, "posture" or "seat", from the resemblance to a snake with its head raised;[2] it was described in the 17th century hatha yoga text Gheranda Samhita in chapter 2, verses 42–43. In the 19th century Sritattvanidhi, the pose is named सरपासन Sarpāsana, "Serpent Pose", from सरप, sarpa[m], "serpent" or "snake".[3] Yogi Narayana Ghamande described and illustrated the pose in halftone as Bhujangasana in the 1905 Yogasopana Purvacatuska.[4]
Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana (
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Acobrawith its hood raised.
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Sarpasana, Serpent Pose, in the Sritattvanidhi
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Bhujangasana in Yogasopana, 1905
Description
The pose may be entered from a
Bhujangasana is part of the sequence of yoga postures in some forms of
Variations
An easier variant is Sphinx Pose, sometimes called Salamba Bhujangasana (षलम्ब भुजंगासन),[13] in which the forearms rest on the ground, giving a gentler backbend.[14] It is used in the long holds of Yin Yoga, either with the forearms on the ground or with the arms straightened.[15]
Advanced practitioners may fold the legs into Padmasana (lotus).[15]
The pose can be modified, for instance,
Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana, Upward Dog, is entered with an inhalation from a prone position (or from Chaturanga Dandasana or Ashtanga Namaskara in a Surya Namaskar cycle), taking the feet a little apart. The legs are stretched out straight, the toes out (not tucked under), and the weight of the body is supported on the hands with outstretched arms so the hips are off the ground. The gaze is directed straight upwards, so the neck and back are arched.[5]
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Variant with less extreme backbend
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Yin Yoga's Sphinx pose, an easier variant
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Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana, Upward Dog Pose, has the hips off the ground.
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Standing Cobra pose
See also
- Makarasana, Crocodile pose, reclining
References
- ^ Anon (28 May 2007). "Cobra Pose". Yoga Journal.
- ^ "Bhujangasana, Bhujanga-asana, Bhujaṅgāsana: 2 definitions". Wisdom Library. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ISBN 81-7017-389-2.
- ^ Ghamande, Narayana (1905). Yogasopana Purvacatuska (1st ed.). Bombay: Janardan Mahadev Gurjar, Niranayasagar Press. p. 77.
- ^ a b Mehta 1990, p. 91.
- ^ Singleton 2010, pp. 204–205.
- ^ Singleton, Mark (4 February 2011). "The Ancient & Modern Roots of Yoga". Yoga Journal.
- ^ Iyengar 1979, pp. 107–108, 396–397.
- ^ "Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana". AshtangaYoga.info. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ^ "Upward-Facing Dog | Yoga Poses". Yoga Journal. 18 October 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ a b Dehnke, Andrea (28 August 2007). "Cobra Pose". Yoga Journal. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ "Surya Namaskara". Divine Life Society. 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ "Sphinx Pose -Salamba Bhujangasana". Ekhart Yoga. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Anon (28 August 2007). "Sphinx Pose". Yoga Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
Sphinx Pose is the infant of backbends.
- ^ a b c "Sphinx & Seal". Yin Yoga. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
Sources
- ISBN 978-1855381667.
- OCLC 878953765.
- Mehta, Silva; Mehta, Mira; Mehta, Shyam (1990). )
- ISBN 978-1-78179-661-0.
- OCLC 318191988.