What's the Deal with Cobra and Upward Dog?

[msatrakkoic91]

i thought the only difference was that in one pose your knees were on the mat, and in the other,your knees were off?

[TheCloudXTraining]

Thanks for sharing. Btw, this girl is a cutie. :)

[domzalm1]

thank you very much for making it so so so simple. I was looking for a good explanation of the difference between them two poses. This is exactly what I needed. Namaste

[7means]

Beautiful!

[jughea6]

That was an awesome explaination! thank you so much!

[308tube]

its amazing how 2 simple looking poses can easily be done wrong. I'm on my 2nd month of doing p90x program and after watching this video, i realize now that im not really doing the poses right. ty for the explanation.

[yogagarden]

@308tube Forget p90x! Do The Peak Condition Project!

[OgoTomO]

I subscribe.

Thanks. My heart is open to learning variations of Cobra. I've been advised to squeeze my elbows together and flatten out my pelvis. I'm a cyclist and I am in the beginning of my yoga journey. So, my psoas is still stiff. Pressing my feet together and down seems to help buoy my torso up and outward.

Love the drawings.

[blakedawg76]

I enjoyed this. Glad I found it. I am a newbie who is still learning the form. This really helped.

[pacificislandbeing]

OK. Thank you for helping me finally surrender the notion of Yoga's integrity; it has just become too diluted. Seriously, I shall give up the irritation and only pay attention to how I treat my body. This was a blessing to find. Perhaps you would consider the possibility that there might be more accurate, deep, and risk-free approaches. Your drawings are very nice and that wooden practice platform is a great idea. Happy Kaliyuga!

[yogagarden]

@pacificislandbeing Your observations about the hyper-extended elbows are spot on and something I teach all my students and will remind Kumiko about. If you've got the time please watch my other videos and send me some feedback if you see any problems. We aren't perfect or claiming to be the purveyors of "the one true yoga" and would be happy to take constructive criticism! Thanks!

[yogagarden]

@pacificislandbeing you can make all of your very valid points without descending into YouTube troll tounge.

[yogagarden]

@pacificislandbeing what a positive person you are!

[UlrikeDG]

Great answer. Very easy to understand, no mumbo-jumbo. Thanks for sharing your knowledge here.

[godstuber]

Thank you so much, this is exactly what I was looking for. Often my teacher gives us the option between cobra and up-dog and I struggle to differentiate the two, but this is a great clarification.

[minneanderson]

That was really informative and a brilliant way to present to a newbie! Thanks. :)

[ecstacymaster]

great video , god bless u .

[westcoastyogini]

Thanks so much for this video. As a new yoga teacher, I find it an invaluable resource! Namaste :)

[titania32]

Excellent video, thank you so much. This was a great instructional tool - the visuals, explanation and analogies all helped to ensure the person watching would understand. Thanky you!

[stop7997]

Excellent video Patrick! I'm a recent practitioner and this was very helpful. Thank you.

[plazindrt]

Great videos and great drawings. You guys always make these explanations so easy to understand. Thanks!

[MahaMondo]

Hi Patrick,

Maha diagram & vid !

[gamergeekgal]

Thanks for responding and that is very helpful.

I'm going to try a few more variations to see if I an get that "correct" feeling in my lower back, otherwise I may just need other lower back strengthening poses.

Up dog still gets me everytime. I need partner assistance to get it right, and that's impossible if I'm doing it at home without another yogi with me.

Thanks!! I loved the video!

[gamergeekgal]

This is something I found on a yoga website.

To put your hands even *behind* the shoulders!

Step #2

Slowly raise your head, look upwards, and stretch your arms, placing your hands well-behind your shoulders. Allow your chest to bear your weight.

Rodney Yee also showes hands aligned under the shoulder like you show for upward dog.

I'm so confused how to do this pose correctly without causing me lower back pain but to actually *heal* my lower back pain.

[yogagarden]

Hands behind the shoulders is a more advanced variation and will cause a lot of compression and discomfort in people with tight spines.

There's no correct way for everyone. If the pose feels wrong then it's not the version you should be doing. An up-dog in the sweet spot will feel energizing and opening.

[gamergeekgal]

I notice in a lot of other videos and images of cobra pose they show the hands below the shoulders and not "in front of the body". I think this is why most people can't see the difference.

I find no matter what.. I feel compression of the spine in the lower back right where the 'power' occurs in cobra. No adjustment seems to help.

I've been trying to use cobra to alleviate lower back pain after other forms of exercise.

Just how important is the hands "in front of you" for cobra?

[mm0nk3yp0xx]

thank you excellent explanation now i get it and i can make my poses better

[kalza59]

Thank you so much for that excellent explanation!! The visuals throughout were so helpful.

[nitoro81]

I didn't catch one thing. In the cobra position, do you have to use also your back's muscles to bend your back?

[yogagarden]

The spinae erectae will be used to some extent but the main power is in the arms and hips. Certainly don't strain the back in an attempt to curve upwards.

[llgwatson]

My previous comment was supposed to have an excellent rating. Sorry!

[llgwatson]

Wow! Excellent video and commentary! I'm new at Yoga and this was very helpful!

[zadisc]

good song from spoon and great video

[hejtack]

Your video is always great! Thank you patrick and Kumiko ;)

[gwendolynbell]

Patrick, I loved the hand drawings in the beginning and the visuals throughout (esp. the direction signs at the end, which I would never have thought of)! You and Kumiko are a great team and I love to see each of these videos really let the Yoga Garden spirit shine through! Awesome work, wonderful editing and so fun!!

[fraumaulwurf]

Thanks a lot. Your explanations are really great!

[cinderbutte]

Once again a lucid, bright, intelligent beautifully insightful video. The YogaGarden crew are awesome! Patrick your narration and descriptions are spot on, and Kumiko your practice demos are helpful and your aura is brilliant. I can't get enough of your classes -- and it's a guilty love because for me it's free! If I could come to Japan I would certainly take classes at your studio. Hope to see many more vids and I have a sneaking suspicion you'll become YouTube superstars.

[deadwoodsweep]

Awesome!