February Pose of the Month

It shouldn’t be a surprise that our February pose of the month is a back bend. Back bends open the front of our chest and give us access to the anahata cakra (heart chakra). When we access this spiritual heart we are blessed with the opportunity to rid ourselves of emotions like anger, jealousy, and hate to make room for pure love expressed through compassion and forgiveness — the true ACTS of love.

Back bending postures can be difficult. One reason we find them difficult is because we are exposing a very vulnerable part of ourselves.. With our heads forward, our shoulders rounded and our hunched postures, modern humans physically shield the heart, cutting off our connection to those around us and shrinking our circle of compassion. It can feel scary to roll our shoulders back, lift our heads and hearts, and open ourselves up to the world - we risk getting hurt.

We can practice yoga back bends to stretch our chest and shoulders, to strengthen our upper back, to open our hearts to the world and expand our circle of compassion.

To do the February pose of the month, bhujanasana - cobra pose, at home, follow these tips:

  • Lie on your belly with your legs extended behind you and hands placed beneath your shoulders

  • Lift you shoulders away from the floor and press your elbows toward one another

  • Press hands down into floor with a slight pull backwards to lift and broaden chest

  • Back of neck should be long and in line with spine, not over extended and/or looking up.

  • Pubic bone, thighs, and knees should stay down. Hip points may lift as more extension is expressed in the spine.

Pose Of The Month, Yoga PhilosophyCarrie Klaus