This is Baby Crow pose (Bala Bakasana in Sanskrit) and it’s this terms peak pose that we’re all going to achieve in the next few weeks!
While Baby Crow looks very complicated it should actually be simpler and more stable than full Crow since there is more of the body in contact with the mat. It is however, an excellent pose to build shoulder and arm strength…
Why is Baby Crow a good yoga pose to practise?
You can probably tell from the photo that Baby Crow has a strong focus on upper body strength and balance. To achieve this pose you need strong arms and shoulders, and a stable core.
Here are some other benefits:
Less strain on the wrists – Because you are using your forearms the weight is spread across a greater surface area which protects your wrists. This is good if you have already been doing a lot of Chaturanga in your Vinyasa, or other arm balances.
Builds body control – If you have done a plank recently, you’ll be aware of the mental and physical control you need to maintain the pose. Baby Crow requires the same control, using the same muscle groups, just a bit more scrunched up.
A good back stretch – many yoga flows work with complementary poses, moving from a pose that puts the focus on one muscle group, into another that allows them to rest while somewhere else takes over. While your abdominals are taking the strain in Baby Crow, your back is nicely curved, stretching your spine and that area in between your shoulder blades.
Improves focus and bravery – Your face is very close to the floor… As you practise Baby Crow, you will undoubtedly improve your focus to prevent falling flat on your face! Actually, this focus requires you to clear your mind and if you do fall, you’re already very close to the floor so there’s not far to go.
Building up to Baby Crow
Admittedly, this term has been somewhat interrupted by heatwaves, but we are building up to Baby Crow, even if it’s in baby steps.
Forearm Plank
The first step in building up to Baby Crow is to execute the perfect Forearm Plank. Shoulders are positioned over the elbows; your chest is not sinking down. Hips are slightly elevated and your pelvis is tucked to protect the lower back. Knees are up, or on the floor with feet reasonably close together.
Dolphin Pose
You’ll notice a running theme of being on the forearms in this blog! With Dolphin pose you can adapt it to be stronger by adding movement. You could slide back into plank, lift legs, go up onto the hands (one at a time or push up together), but the important thing is to use those shoulders…
Half Dolphin, or is it Three Legged Dog?
You may have already seen photos of our very specially named, Three Legged, One Armed Dolphin pose on the Ad Astra Yoga and Pilates Facebook page.
Three Legged Dog gently increases the pressure on the upper body as your bodyweight is less supported. In class, we then dropped only one forearm to the floor to begin loading the triceps and build strength in the back of the arms and shoulders.
Half Scorpion
Traditional Scorpion pose is a full forearm balance, with the legs bent at the knees towards the back of the head. The Ad Astra version, however, is a simplified one, that you would go through to get to Wild Thing (but that’s for another blog, another day). This term, we’re using it to continue the loading on the forearms but also give the hips a nice stretch and the spine a slight twist.
You’ll also notice again, that only one forearm is on the floor…
And there you have it!
How to achieve Baby Crow in just six weeks of yoga
Keep an eye on the social media pages to see the class photos of our Baby Crows…
Ad Astra terms run to around six or seven weeks. I poll the members on Facebook to find out what they want to work on and then plan the upcoming term around building up to a peak pose that uses the chosen body parts or functions.
This term was arms and shoulders – what would you choose for next term?
Join Ad Astra for a free taster class. Every class is differentiated for your personal capability and takes into account how you are feeling on that particular day. Just contact me, Jayne, to book your freebie and borrow a mat. Or view the class schedule and book here: Ad Astra Yoga Booking.