Yoga pose
Cobra Pose is a gentle prone backbend that helps you practice lifting the chest with support from the back muscles, while keeping some weight light in the hands.
Typical hold: 2 to 5 breaths
Timing: Lift for 1 inhale and lower on the exhale · Hold for 2 to 3 slow breaths · Repeat 3 to 5 gentle rounds instead of one long hold
Cobra is often clearer when you think of it as a chest-opening action rather than a push-up. The hands do help, but the main work is usually in the back body. A small Cobra is often more useful than trying to lift very high. Comfortable range differs from body to body, so let the height be modest if that keeps the lower back and neck feeling easy.
If Cobra keeps landing in your hands, try briefly hovering the palms for a tiny Baby Cobra first. That usually shows you how much lift can come from the upper back rather than from pushing the floor away.
Keep your hands light or lift them slightly off the mat, then raise the chest only a little. This reduces pressure in the lower back and helps you feel the back muscles working.
Place a thin folded blanket under the lower ribs if the front body feels tender on the floor. Keep the lift small and steady.
Take the feet and legs a bit wider apart if your lower back feels crowded. Then lift less and focus on length through the front of the body.
Come onto your forearms with elbows under or slightly in front of the shoulders, and lift the chest gently.
Use this if straightening the arms or placing the palms near the ribs feels uncomfortable, or if you want a steadier, lower backbend.
Lift the chest only an inch or two with very little hand pressure, then lower back down.
Use this if a fuller Cobra feels jammed in the lower back or heavy in the shoulders.
Lie back over a bolster or folded blankets under the upper back and let the chest open without bearing weight through the arms.
Use this if lying prone is not comfortable or getting pressure through the hands is not suitable.
A lower version with little or no weight in the hands, useful for learning the spinal action.
A deeper lift with more arm assistance, done only if the chest can stay broad and the lower back remains comfortable.
Sharp pain in the lower back, tingling, or pain that starts to travel into the arms during Cobra—even after lowering the lift or switching to Sphinx or Baby Cobra—means it’s best to pause backbends and get individual guidance before continuing.
Use these related poses when you want a more accessible way to practise a similar movement or prepare for this pose.
These poses can help prepare the movement pattern or body position used here.
When this pose feels steady and controlled, these related poses may provide a logical next step.
These poses can provide a contrasting movement or a quieter transition after this pose.
Only lift to the point where your chest feels open and your lower back still feels spacious. For many people that is quite low. A smaller Cobra done clearly is usually more useful than a high one pushed from the hands.
This often happens when you try to push up before the chest moves forward. Set the hands a little farther back beside the ribs, hug the elbows in, and think of sliding the breastbone forward first. The lift usually becomes steadier.
Not necessarily. In many versions of Cobra, the elbows stay bent. Straight arms can work for some bodies, but only if the shoulders stay broad and the lower back remains comfortable. Bent elbows are completely fine.
Try using much less hand pressure, or practice Baby Cobra with the palms light. Sphinx Pose is another good option because it changes the wrist angle and often feels steadier.
Either can work. If you are learning the shape, 3 to 5 gentle lifts with the breath often feel clearer than one long hold. If the pose feels easy and even, staying for 2 to 5 breaths can help you settle into the back-body work.
Reviewed for yoga instruction
Certified Yoga Instructor with 5+ years of Teaching and Consistent Practice
Last reviewed: 2026-08-08
