Yoga Pose of the Week: Cobra & Upward-Facing Dog

Learn the Cobra and the Upward-Facing Dog in Simple Steps!

Cobra and Upward-Facing Dog

While this double pose of the week goes out to my Divas working on toning their upper arms and booty—these two poses will no doubt work wonders for all my Divas who sit at a desk, hunched over the keyboard of a computer all day. Your mother meant it when she said to sit-up straight, and these two poses will have you betting your co-workers a sushi lunch that you can make it down to the water cooler and back while balancing the weekly TPS reports steadily on your head.

I have combined two backbends in this yoga pose of the week because they are equally as powerful and it gives you the option to do one or the other or move from Cobra to Up Dog in sync with your breath for more of a workout.

Diva Cobra Benefits:

• Promotes blood circulation and strengthens the spine

• Opens the heart and lungs and stimulates the abdominal organs

• Tones upper arms and buttocks

• Stretches the chest, shoulders and abs

Diva Cobra How-To:

	1. Lie flat on your stomach, top of your feet flat on the mat and your hands at the sides of your chest right underneath your shoulders.
	2. Keep your elbows in the frame of the body as you push through the hands, lifting the chest, and pressing the pubic bone into the earth. 3. Keep a bend in your elbows and look straight ahead

4. From here you have the option to hold the pose for three deep breaths then release down and push back into child’s pose for three deep breaths and repeat or push up further into upward-facing dog (see below) hold there for three more deep breaths before releasing into child’s pose and repeating.

Diva Up Dog Benefits:

• Stretches the chest, shoulders, and abs

• Opens the lungs

• Tightens the buttocks

• Stimulates abdominal organs

• Improves posture

Diva Up Dog How-To:

	1. From cobra, continue pushing through the hands, straightening the arms and lifting the waist, hips, and knees a few inches off the ground.
	2. This will require you to push through the tops of your feet as well. 3. Don’t forget to keep your shoulders down away from your ears and tip the head back, opening the throat. 4. Hold for three deep breaths then release and push back into child’s pose for three deep breaths and repeat.

Diva Cobra & Up Dog Cautions:

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