Cant Do Cobra Pose? Heres what Your Body is Trying to Tell You

You Might: Have Tight Pectoral Muscles

If you have poor posture, rounded shoulders and tight chest muscles might make it more difficult to do cobra pose. That's because cobra pose involves peeling your chest away from the floor, rolling your shoulders down and away from your ears and keeping your shoulders and elbows pressed back to help create more lift in your chest.

You can also get more of the chest-opening benefits of cobra pose by breathing in and slowly lifting up from your chest and back instead of fully extending your arms to create a slight arch in your back.

Try spreading your fingertips wide on the floor and pushing onto them in order to create an inverted cup with the palms of your hands. Doing this modification will strengthen your lower back and carpal tunnel while assisting with opening your chest.

You Might: Need to Strengthen Your Core

Wrist pain while practicing cobra pose means you're putting too much of your weight on your hands and shoulders. Using yoga props, such as blocks, can help take pressure off your wrists by balancing the weight.

There are also other cues you can try to get more out of your core with this pose. For example, try lifting from your core by drawing your shoulder blades down your back and making sure your shoulders are stacked directly over your wrists. Making this simple adjustment not only helps provide stability but also prevents compressing your lower back.

Another simple way to ensure youre engaging your core in this pose is by pressing the tops of your feet into the mat, which allows your lower back to lengthen and your torso to easily extend.

Or, if you're still experiencing wrist pain, do sphinx pose instead. This variation of cobra involves putting weight on your forearms rather than your wrists.

You Might: Have Tight Hips and Hamstrings

Lower back pain usually stems from having tight hip flexors and hamstrings, as well as not engaging your core or glute muscles while doing cobra pose. So if you sit down all day without stretching often, you may experience tightness in these areas.

Fix It

Because your hip bones and glutes are connected to your pelvis, overly tight hip flexors and hamstrings can limit motion in that area. Do these yoga poses for tight hips, which improve hip mobility while also releasing tension in your lower back and inner groin.

Doing legs up the wall pose can also help with lower back pain by releasing tension on your spine. It also serves as a great follow-up to cobra pose, as it helps with neutralizing your spine after doing a somewhat intense backbend.

Another way to help relieve lower back tension is to relax your glutes.

If you suffer from chronic lower back pain, talk with your doctor and avoid doing cobra pose until you get the green light to start up again.

You Might: Lack Spinal Mobility

If you're unable to transition from a low cobra to a high cobra (full extension), you may not have full spinal mobility. We all have a unique spinal structure that can make back extension more or less natural. However, there are ways to help you reach your fullest expression of cobra pose.

Fix It

Poses like cat-cow help warm up your spine before going into deeper backbends like cobra and increases the flexibility and mobility of your spine. Locust pose is another asana you can do to strengthen your posterior chain (backside of your body), which will assist with opening your chest.

Additionally, doing a spinal twist, such as thread the needle, helps release tension in your upper back and shoulders.

Patience is key. You won't see an improvement in your flexibility overnight, but with regular practice of these poses, you'll start to see some progress.

Read more on: livestrong