Let’s talk about crow pose….. and more specifically, how to get our butts up + fly in crow pose.

Here’s the deal with crow pose.

It’s MAGICAL AS SHIT.

Yup, that’s it, no need to read further (just joking yogis, of course there’s more to read).

The reason it’s so magical is it’s typically the first arm balance we fly in, the first pose that makes us feel super badass, the first pose that we balance all of our body’s weight atop our arms, and the first pose that truly scares us.

….. sometimes scares us too much, don’t let it do that to ya.

And because so many of us are either working towards crow pose, have flirted with the posture here + there, or confidently lift our butts up and fly, I thought to myself – let’s do an entire yoga flow working up towards it.

Related: Break down crow pose & fly with this yoga tutorial!

What a great thought, right?

Today’s yoga video is  a well-thought out sequence that opens + strengthens all the right spaces, leading to our peak posture –

Crow Pose

If you’re curious about what’s required to lengthen + strengthen before we lift off, below is an epic breakdown. Also important to note, as a newer yoga teacher, I turn to seasoned, knowledgeable teachers to teach me (while teaching you).

With that being said, today’s crow pose yoga sequence + the information below came from one of my favorite yoga blogs by Jason Crandell. I had the pleasure of practicing with Jason at Yoga Journal Live & his style is so refreshing, real, informative and simple. If you’re a student or teacher, I highly recommend taking a class, workshop or teacher training with him.

You can find his site here.

You can find the original articles here + here. 

Okay.

Now, let’s dive into the why behind our crow pose yoga class today.

The Mechanics

When we break down crow pose, there’s two major components happening.

1. The upper body is performing a blend of chaturanga + plank in the upper body

2. The lower body is performing a deep, yogi like squat

What does this tell us?

Well, we need to strengthen our upper body, while simultaneously opening our lower half. It seems like a paradox, I know, but this is true of all arm balance postures.

Strong upper body + flexible lower body = arm balance success.

Great, you now understand the formula, but what yoga postures will help get you there? That’s where Jason’s epic yoga sequence/article comes into play.

Upper body strengtheners:

• plank pose holds
• forearm pose holds
• boat post

Lower body openers:

• happy baby
• low-lunge sun salutations
• lizard pose
• yogi squat

And lastly + important to note, below is where crow pose strengthens your body, because you know…. it’s good to know this kinda stuff (thanks Jason for teaching us)!

• abdominals +pelvic floor
• hip flexors
• inner legs
• hamstrings
• shoulders
• arms

Now let’s step on our mats, work to build strength, open our body, and fly into crow pose!