Bhujangasana

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Bhujangasana

Bhujangasana ( Sanskrit : भुजङ्गासन, IAST : bhujaṅgāsana), in German: Kobra , is a classic yoga exercise and part of the Rishikesh series . It is also the 7th position of the sun salutation or prayer, in Sanskrit: Surya Namaskar . The Sanskrit name bhujaṅgāsana is formed from the words bhujaṅga "snake, cobra" and āsana "seat" or more generally translated "posture".

Physical execution

Bhujangasana

A consultation of the Hathapradipika , which was written in the 14th century, shows that Bhujangasana is not included there. The Gherandasamhita (probably written in the 17th century) describes the asana as follows: “Let the body touch the floor from the navel down to the toes, place the palms on the floor and lift the head (the upper part of the body ) look like a cobra. This is called the cobra keeping. "

André van Lysebeth further differentiates the sequence of movements. He lets the whole body lay flat at the beginning. The forehead touches the ground. The chin moves slowly forward as far as possible. This leads to a stretch in the neck. Now the head rises through the contraction of the neck muscles and further through the work of the back muscles. This dynamic phase happens without supporting work of the arms. According to Lysebeth, these are only used in the static phase, notably in a complete reversal of muscle work: "From now on, the arms work alone." The back becomes passive.

BKS Iyengar places both hands flat on the floor next to the basin. Using the arms, the trunk is pulled upwards. He gives the advice to contract the buttocks and tense the thighs to support the dynamic of the backward bend.

Swami Sivananda positions the palms of the hands under each shoulder. He advises that when the upper body is arched back, “feel the movement of every single vertebra” and observe the pressure that “travels from the neck over the back and loin down to the sacrum.” The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center describes the straightening of the body as "Graceful" and is reminiscent of the sleek and agile movement of a snake. Keep your elbows close to your body. Here, too, the arms are initially passive, but then they are used to lift the upper body into the end position.

In Bikram Yoga , the movement is guided upwards as far as possible using the strength of the back alone. In the starting position, the fingertips do not protrude over the shoulders.

According to Heinz Grill, the strength for active use should mainly come from the spine. "The arms only give the body an accompanying guide." Not straightening up, but stretching the spine and thus shaping the movement is of "most important importance" to him.

Erling Petersen, a disciple of Swami Narayanananda, instructs with regard to the shoulders to keep them lowered and to contract the shoulder blades.

In Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga , Bhujangasana is not part of any of the series of exercises.

Guiding attention in the exercise

In the dynamic phase, the thoughts follow the pressure of the spine, which develops vertebra by vertebra. "During the static phase you have to concentrate on the whole spine." ( André van Lysebeth )

According to Swami Kriyananda , a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda , the following affirmation can be thought in the final position: "Mi alzo allegramente per incontrare ogni nuova occasione", which translated means: "I happily rise to face every new possibility."

Attention can also be directed to the spiritual meaning of the cobra:

Mental meaning

“The cobra can be compared to a blossom of self-forgetfulness, which appears unobtrusive, since it is built from the creative powers of free thoughts. The body does not actually rise up in a mighty gesture of being upright out of mere will, it rounds, arches and builds itself in a graceful backward bend and finally rests in a quiet, controlled openness in the sensitive space. The devotion and self-forgetfulness that arises through a conscious, controlled and created thought life is called the exercise. [...] "

Reports on healing effects

The healing effects are indicated very consistently in the different yoga styles. Swami Sivananda sums it up: “The cobra relieves the back pain that comes from overwork. The abdominal muscles are tensed and thereby strengthened. The pressure inside the abdomen is increased so that constipation disappears. Each vertebra and its ligaments are tensed backwards and are supplied with plenty of blood. The body heat is increased, thereby eliminating an abundance of ailments. [...] Bhujangasana is particularly suitable for women because it strengthens the ovaries and uterus. "

BKS Iyengar says that the position returns dislodged discs to their original position and André van Lysebeth reports that there are some known cases where, thanks to the exercise of the cobra, small gallstones have been expelled.

Web links

Commons : Bhujangasana  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Search results for "bhujaNga". In: spokensanskrit.org . Retrieved April 28, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Search results for "Asana". In: spokensanskrit.org . Retrieved April 28, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Gheranda Samhita, Sanskrit-English . Sri Satguru Publications, SSP Edition, Delhi 1979.
  4. ^ A b c André van Lysebeth: Yoga for people of today . TB issue no. 1690 . Mosaik Verlag, ISBN 3-442-16164-9 , p. 184 ff .
  5. ↑ a b B. KS Iyengar: Light on Yoga . 7th edition. Nikol Verlag, 2017, ISBN 978-3-86820-175-8 , pp. 95 f .
  6. ↑ a b Swami Sivananda: Hatha Yoga . 2nd Edition. Heinrich Schwab Verlag, Gelnhausen, p. 38 f .
  7. ↑ Sivananda Yoga Center (ed.): Yoga for all stages of life . 11th edition. Gräfe and Unzer Verlag, 1997, ISBN 3-7742-6200-4 , p. 50 .
  8. ↑ Bikram Choudhury & Bonnie Jones Reynolds: Bikram Yoga, Das Praxisbuch . 1st edition. TB. Lotos Verlag, 2005, p. 126 ff .
  9. ↑ a b Heinz Grill: The Soul Dimension of Yoga . 5th expanded edition. Lammers-Koll-Verlag, 2018, ISBN 978-3-941995-48-2 , pp. 260 ff .
  10. ↑ Erling Petersen: The yoga exercise book . 4th edition. Heyne Ratgeber 08/9299, ISBN 3-453-04104-6 , p. 145 .
  11. ↑ Swami Kriyananda: Raja-Yoga, Il manuale completo di yoga e meditazione . Ananda Edizioni Copyright © 2011.