Float Into Bakasana!
Lift, lean, and fly, your journey into Crow starts here.
Jumping into Crow Pose is something many Yogis fear, even if they are strong in their Bakasana! The fear of face-planting is high because dynamic movement and arm balancing don’t seem to go together in practitioners’ minds. It’s understandable; nobody wants to fall on their face, but with that said, this movement is much more achievable than people think. Read the 5 tips for how to float your way into the crow pose!
Jumping to Bakasana
Don’t jump forward, jump up. To make this transition successful, you need to get your hips over your shoulders so you can softly land your knees on the backs of your triceps.- Jump lightly. Although it may look like a long way, you really don’t have that far to go, around the distance of your body length. A soft jump starting from your core will help you control your body and make a face plant less likely, or at least make for a softer landing 🙂
- Use your core. When it comes to transitions, engaging your core is the key, and this one is no different. Your core muscles (upper, lower, back, and sides) help you better control your movements, especially in postures that require work from both the arms and the legs. Engage your core right as you jump to help you land your knees lightly.
- Keep your shoulders wide and drishti forward. Create space in your shoulders by spreading them wide, just as you do in your traditional Bakasana. When you are ready to jump, look out past your hands and envision landing gently in Crow Pose. Trust us, this helps!
- Find your Bakasana. Everyone has a different-looking Crow Pose; some rock it with straight arms, while others have varying degrees of bend in their arms. If your arms are normally bent during Bakasana, you will need to adapt to that in your jump. “Ideally”, you want to work towards straight arms, but that comes with time, patience, strength, practice, flexibility, and who knows what else!
Remember that transitions like this take practice! Nobody sticks these kinds of moves the first time. Taking time to practice jumping into Crow Pose everyday will make the difference in sticking this transition. Be patient and don’t forget the strength-building aspects. A good place to start is by practising Bakasana, then shooting back to Chaturanga as Patrick does at the end of the sequence. Another good drill is light hops to the front of the mat, controlled by your core. Bakasana is such an awesome pose because you can go so many different places from it. Good luck practising this transition. If you have any questions, feel free to let us know!
If you’re looking to deepen your practice and refine transitions like these under expert guidance, consider training with AYM Yoga School in Goa, where traditional teachings meet modern practice. Good luck with your journey into Crow Pose!