The Difference Between Cobra Pose and Upward Facing Dog Pose

Cobra Pose or Bhujangasana and Upward Facing Dog Pose or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana can resemble one another in some ways, to say the least. After looking at both positions with more intensity and explaining these, you can easily pick on the differences between Cobra Pose or Bhujangasana and Upward Facing Dog Pose or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana each time you catch a glimpse of them.

Similarities between Cobra Pose and Upward Facing Dog Pose

Let's start with what is similar for both of them:

• Both poses are Backbends

• Both of the poses form Prone Positions (belly)

• You point your toes and bring your feet down onto the mat

• You engage your legs and glutes

• Your hands are down on the mat

• You lift your chest up, while engaging your shoulder blades

Differences between Cobra Pose and Upward Facing Dog Pose

Now that you are aware of the above similarities between the two poses, here’s more on their main differences : 

Contact Points – The Areas of the Body that make Contact with the Mat.

In Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana), the tips of the feet, knees, thighs, pelvis, and hands - all of these are pressed down onto the mat while only the heels of the feet and hands engage with the floor to curl the knees, thighs, and pelvis up into Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana).

Arm Positioning – The alignment of the wrists in relation to the shoulders.

In Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana), the hands are placed in front of the body and form a diagonal line from the wrists to the shoulders. The arms are typically bent but can be straightened all the way for an even deeper backbend. The hands and arms provide support to lift the upper body off the mat and bear most of the weight, which is significantly less than in Upward Facing Dog. Usually, you'll bring the hands underneath your shoulders before you lift your upper body off the mat to get them aligned. And remember the elbows are always in, tight against your sides.

In Upward Facing Dog, the hands are directly under the shoulders so that a straight line will run from the wrists to the shoulders. The stacking of shoulders over wrists can be said to stabilize the body since it has taken on more weight, given that the upper and lower body (apart from the feet) are raised off the mat. The keeping of a micro bend in the elbows helps engage more muscles in the shoulders and prevents hyperextension of the elbows. Place your hands down on the mat at the sides of the body so you create a 90-degree angle at the elbows before lifting into an Upward-facing Dog. When you place them down, the wrists will want to fall through underneath the shoulders.

Depth of Backbend – The degree of spinal extension required for each asana.

Because Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) forces the pelvis to remain on the mat, it is actually the hands that will be dictating how far forward the spine is going to bend (backbend). The depth in which one bends can be quite so subtle, this pose is not only easily attained but safe for most yogis.

A variation of Cobra is Baby Cobra or Ardha Bhujangasana. The hands just float down slightly below the shoulders as you push the chest using the muscles of the lower back and shoulders instead of touching down on the mat. If you find this easy, you simply press the hands down onto the mat underneath your shoulders and then lift the chest up until you have gotten an amount of bend in the back that feels pleasing. That part of bend between the arms does not matter, however ensuring they don't come out to both sides is! In other words, keep those elbows in, elbows tucked.

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog) is pretty deep as far as backbends are concerned and more than likely not a pose to be recommended to beginners. Because the arms are straight, it creates that deep bend in the back, already. This creates a greater load on the lower back because you're lifting the body off the mat and requires a great deal more strength in your shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands to keep your body lifted up. The bend in your back cannot be lessened at all without utilizing some sort of prop. To reduce the amount of bend, you will have to increase the amount of gap between the hands and the mat. This can be done with a chair or blocks underneath the hands. Then you put more weight on the feet while decreasing the level of bend and weight in the lower portion of the back.

Conclusion: Considering the Best of the Two

After you have an idea about how the two postures are different as seen above, you can consider the best one for you and thus apply the same in your practice. In the Sun Salutations or Vinyasas, Cobra Pose is the best substitute for Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana). For any of those who prefer not to use the wrist then Sphinx Pose or Supported Cobra Pose is the best to perform as the weight bears down on the elbows and forearm keeping the elbows perfectly straight with a little bend in the wrists. For this, lift your chest up off the mat so that your elbows come straight down to under your shoulders with your forearms and hands sitting forward on your mat. Always be safe when attempting backbends. Be aware of your limits and instruct yourself gently and slowly into each posture!