Cobra vs. Upward Dog: What’s the Difference?

I was asked by a friend and fellow yoga teacher, Laura, to cover Cobra and Upward Facing Dog in one of my posts. (Thanks for the inspiration, Laura!) Like many of us, she wanted more clarity regarding these two popular yoga poses, both for herself, and her students. These postures are constant in the classroom, yet how and why we practice them can vary dramatically. Some teachers only teach one pose or the other, while other teachers give students the option to do whichever posture they choose.

Bhujangasana (Cobra) and Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana (Upward Facing Dog) have similar effects, but they feel quite different when we do them. Both poses are recommended to cure a stiff back and strengthen the spine. They both make the lungs more elastic and breathing easier. Both can remedy marginally slipped discs. So how are they different?

Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana

In Upward Dog the only points of our bodies that remain on the ground are our hands and the tops of our feet. Everything else we hold up with our own effort. The pose must be done with straight arms, which can feel strenuous to some practitioners. But, it keeps us from cheating; as soon as we sag or relax in Upward Dog, we’re likely to feel pain. For this reason it’s an incredible teacher for letting you know if you’re working in your posture well and how your alignment is serving your yoga practice.

Because our arms do bear so much weight, we have to be especially aware of how we’re working them in Up Dog. It is very common — and risky! — for the shoulders to round forward in this pose. In the shoulders forward scenario, not only are they strained, but the upper back is less active which makes the low back bear the brunt of the work.

Bhujangasana

The major, identifying alignment in Bhujangasana is that the legs remain on the floor, no matter how far into the back bend we curl. The full pose is classically done with straight arms, and is the most intense or deepest of these postures. You can see from the photo below that it’s considerably deeper than Upward Facing Dog.

Most often, however, we see Bhujangasana done with bent arms. While it’s a more remedial version of the pose, this option makes it accessible to nearly everyone. For practitioners who don’t yet have the physical strength or stamina to hold their entire body off the floor, as in Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana, Cobra is a great alternative. In this version, one can still learn how to work the arms, the muscles of the upper back, engage and align the legs and stretch the chest open.

It’s much easier to cheat in our yoga practice when doing Cobra than it is in Upward Dog. Because the floor is holding the weight of our legs for us, we can let them go slack, which is less safe, particularly for the low back. Bhujangasana should be done with the same level of integrity and attentiveness as Upward Dog. With powerful, well-aligned legs, and an active upper back, we have the best opportunity for freedom in our back bends.

To Review

Upward Dog is always done with straight arms and only the hands & feet are on the ground.

Up Dog is more difficult to cheat in (watch the shoulders!); the pose lets you know immediately if you’re misaligned.

With arms bent Cobra is easier for most, because the legs remain on the ground.

Cobra done to straight arms is deeper than Up Dog.

Always press your shoulders back and bend in both your upper and lower back, in both yoga poses.