Bakasana, Crow Pose, is a classical arm-balancing asana in which the practitioner crouches forward, plants the hands on the ground and balances the shins against the upper arms while lifting the feet off the floor. Named for the crow (baka), it stands alongside Kukkutasana (Rooster Pose) and Mayurasana (Peacock Pose) as one of the standard bird-named arm balances of the hatha yoga tradition, each requiring a comparable combination of arm strength, core engagement and balance.
Facts
Position Profile
Key TextB.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga (1966). The pose does not appear under this name in the Gheranda Samhita's thirty two asanas or the Hatha Yoga Pradipika's fifteen, and is a later addition to the named asana vocabulary. 2 Attestation
Meaning in the Attesting SourceThe Sanskrit baka denotes a crane or stork; the popular English rendering "Crow Pose" is common in modern practice but is technically closer to the related Kakasana, formed from kaka, crow. 1 Connections
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Used in Practice
Sources
1. A Sanskrit-English Dictionary
2. Light on Yoga
B.K.S. Iyengar, George Allen and Unwin, 1966
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Svatmarama, Panini Office, 1914on classical arm-balance asanasView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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