Crow Pose

Start in Malasana / Squat pose with the feet apart, knees wider than your hips.
Place your hands flat in front of you on the floor as if you were in Downward Facing Dog – middle finger pointing forward and with your fingers spread.
Firm your hands down, pressing through the whole of the hand and your finger tips.
Keeping your elbows bent, lift the hips high.
Place your knees on the back of your upper arms as high up as you can, or squeeze the outer upper arms with your knees. Hug the knees and elbows into your mid-line, exhale and round strongly through the upper back drawing your side waist up, using your abdominals.
Then, squeezing in and up, bring the weight forward so the elbows end up straight over the wrist, bent at 90 degrees.
Inhale, reach the heart forward and let one foot come up, then bring the other to meet it if possible. Bring the heels and big toes together.
Stay for about 5/10 breaths all the time pressing firmly through the hands to feel the rebound lift.
Exhale and come back into a squat position when you are ready.

Fear is often the biggest obstacle when starting with Crow Pose (Bakasana), so it can help to have a cushion nearby at first while you are getting used to it. Place it on the floor in front of your hands. You probably won’t use it but it’s there!
You can practise the shape of Bakasana on your back first in Happy Baby Pose. This will also warm up your back and hips to help them release in this pose.
You can start with raising just one foot keeping just the toe of your other foot to the floor.
You could also try getting into the pose by standing on a couple of bricks. This may make it a little easier to position the knees further up your arms.
You need strength in the upper body, wrists and core for this pose so you can build it up by working on your Downward Dog, Chaturanga and Plank poses.

Try it in class

Make sure that your wrists are properly aligned for Crow Pose. This is particularly important as once you get lift off in the pose it can become a little addictive!
Your upper arms – it’s common to get bruises on the backs of your arms when you are starting out with Crow Pose. As you develop lightness in the pose through practice this will lessen. If it is particularly painful place your knees to your outer upper arms instead of resting on the backs of them.

Over time work on lifting the heels up towards the buttocks.
Work on keeping the arms straight and the knees higher.
Crow Pose is a gateway to all the other arm balances and can be used in transitions between poses such as Tripod Headstand

Crow Pose - Bakasana