Printed March 8, 2026 07:42AM
Yoga Journal’s archives sequence is a curated assortment of articles initially printed in previous points starting in 1975. This text on Parsva Bakasana (Twisted or Aspect Crow or Crane) first appeared within the July-August 1994 subject of Yoga Journal.
For millennia, folks have discovered motion arts—whether or not yoga, dance, or ritual gestures-—by mimicking one another. Traditionally, studying motion has primarily been a nonverbal course of, and it has solely been lately that phrases—typically plenty of them—have outmoded this straightforward, direct strategy. Whereas elaborate descriptions and directions could be distinctive instruments, there isn’t a alternative for acute statement.
The posture we’re about to contemplate is Parsva Bakasana or Twisted Crane Pose or Aspect Crow. The Bakasana arm steadiness postures are unusual, otherworldly wanting creatures, scary equal reactions of awe, revulsion, and cussed disbelief. Usually the second they’re launched into a category a darkish temper settles over the room, eyes glaze, and no quantity of clarification will get toes off the bottom.
For 3 years, I attempted unsuccessfully to do these arm balances. Someday, I opened a yoga guide and determined I’d simply preserve wanting and attempting, wanting and attempting. After every stumble and seemingly ill-fated try, I’d take a look at the images, say “let me see what they did,” and punctiliously evaluate my positioning to the picture earlier than me. No teacher, no directions—simply wanting. Inside three weeks, I had mastered the essential strikes.
After we repeatedly take a look at an image or demonstration of a posture, over time the picture begins to make an imprint on our nervous system. When we’ve assembled an entire inside picture, we’ve a greater likelihood of replicating it with our physique. A technique that we interact on this imaging course of every single day is after we take a look at an object after which flip our gaze away as we attain for it with our hand. An unlimited quantity of knowledge was imprinted after we first regarded on the object in order that afterward we may find it with our hand with out taking a look at it once more. Scientists have but to fully clarify this advanced visual-kinesthetic phenomenon.
One of many obstacles to studying is the shortcoming to see clearly. Studying by seeing isn’t merely a psychological course of—it includes a reorganization of the nervous system and perceptual facilities that causes biochemical adjustments all through the entire physique. We’ve got all had the expertise, when arguing with somebody, of noticing a change within the different individual’s eyes, virtually as if an invisible veil has been drawn over the lens of her notion. When this occurs, we intuitively know that the opposite individual has closed her thoughts and may’t “see it our manner.”
We open the seeing course of by cultivating a type of innocence wherein we let in every little thing earlier than us with out prejudice or false preconceptions. If you take a look at {a photograph} of Parsva Bakasana, do you see it with this innocence, as you may take a look at an odd flower? Or do you see it by a cloud of concepts like “these are males’s poses” or “that should take numerous arm energy” or “I attempted that years in the past and it harm my wrists” or “who would wish to do one thing like that anyway?”
The subsequent step is to make our observations extra aware. Start to mentally word what it’s that you’re seeing. For example, you may take a look at any of the pictures illustrating this text and word, “Her arms are in entrance of…her knees are positioned on…her again is rounded and consistent with…” Thus you’ll be actively slightly than passively seeing. As certainly one of my motion lecturers used to say, “Look till you assume you could have seen every little thing—after which preserve wanting. That’s when you’ll actually start to see.” I’ve discovered that individuals would slightly ask a thousand questions than take a second to have a look at what is true earlier than their eyes.
You may follow this course of by analyzing a extra impartial object than a tough yoga asana—similar to a guide or a serviette—and spending 5 minutes writing down all of the nuances of what you see. When you are able to do that with a guide or a serviette as for those who had by no means seen one earlier than, one can find that you could lengthen this ability into studying new yoga postures.
As you learn the directions for Parsva Bakasana, pause regularly and look fastidiously on the figures. And the following time you see your teacher or a fellow practitioner do the posture, hesitate earlier than asking a technical query. As a substitute, take the time to glean data along with your eyes.
Aspect Crow Prep
Situation the physique slowly by together with weight-bearing poses in each follow session, slightly than straining your self by doing arm balances as soon as a month.
In case you are a newcomer to Bakasana poses, a method you’ll be able to start to arrange your physique for the trials of taking the complete weight of the physique by the arms is to extend the frequency and length with which you follow Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Dealing with Canine), Chaturanga Dandasana (4-Limbed Stick Pose), and Adho Mukha Viksasana (Handstand).
Be meticulous along with your hand placement. Take explicit word of the way you distribute the burden by your palms and arms. To scale back pressure on the base of the wrists, give attention to lifting the forearms away from the ground so the burden of your physique is carried by the entrance of the hand and fingers. Don’t let your weight drop into the bottom of the wrist. Align the elbows clearly over the middle of the wrists in order that neither the wrist, elbow, nor shoulder is torqued as the burden will increase by these constructions.
As you’re training these postures, preserve your consciousness sharp throughout moments of transition. When coming into and out of every motion, be sure that the palms stay even. This is a useful preparation for the tougher arm balances, the place the burden and middle of gravity are always shifting, and the place a second’s inattention—a second of letting the burden tip onto the skin of 1 hand—can result in straining the wrists.
Tips on how to Apply Parsva Bakasana
There are various inventive methods to enter Parsva Bakasana. There are a number of strategies wherein you increase your self up into the pose from the ground. Bakasana poses can be entered from Sirsasana II (Headstand II); nevertheless, we’ll restrict ourselves to introductory variations.
Parsva Bakasana is primarily a twist, very comparable in construction to Marichyasana III, Parivritta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Aspect Angle), and Pasasana. Parsva Bakasana could be entered from any one of many these poses, however we’ll focus our consideration on Marichyasana III as it’s the easiest.
1. To enter Marichyasana III, sit with the left leg prolonged and the precise knee bent so the precise foot is flat on the ground subsequent to the left inside thigh. Convey the left arm onto the skin of the precise thigh, actively drawing the stomach absolutely into the twist. Have your proper arm instantly behind the precise buttock to help in supporting the backbone. Because the backbone releases, reposition the outer left shoulder as far down the precise thigh as you’ll be able to, so the outer knee is resting towards the outer shoulder (Determine 1). Descend by the precise hip as your stomach strikes in and up, elongating the backbone as you accomplish that.
2. Now the enjoyable! Shift your weight ahead over the precise foot till the burden comes off the precise heel and onto the ball of the foot. Then deliver the left foot again and place it subsequent to the precise so that you are actually perched on the balls of each toes. Sustaining the twist of the torso, deliver your left hand down onto the ground about eight inches in entrance of your proper toe. Modify your proper hand so your palms are actually barely wider than the width of the shoulders (Determine 2).
3. Slowly bend the left elbow and shift your weight to the precise and ahead, centering the torso between the 2 arms. Because the chest comes ahead between the arms, the legs will come off the ground (Determine 5). Press by the balls of your toes to activate the tonal reflexes alongside the entrance of the stomach. This motion will make the entire torso mild and simpler to elevate. Hold the sternum and the coccyx centered between the 2 palms so the torso stays over the middle of gravity. In the event you lose this positioning, your legs will slide off your arms and you’ll fall to the facet.
4. After you have efficiently introduced the legs off the ground, start to refine your positioning. First examine that the burden is equally distributed between each palms and that you’re not rocking onto the skin of 1 wrist. Within the closing place, you’ll straighten the arm that’s not supporting the knees. As you straighten the arm, let the chest come even farther ahead, lengthening the spinal column. Press your knees towards the supporting arm to help you in twisting the torso extra absolutely. Hold the stomach lively however not onerous and the breath robust and even. Hold your knees bent your straighten your legs. Keep within the pose for 15 to 30 seconds.
5. Make your second try on the opposite facet. Usually one facet might be simpler than the opposite, and it’s possible you’ll shock your self by getting up this time.
Troubleshooting
In the event you didn’t stand up, examine for some widespread errors earlier than you strive once more. Nearly all of the Bakasana postures are like seesaws, with the important thing mendacity in balancing equal weight at both finish of a fulcrum level. Think about your head and shoulders as one finish of the seesaw and your buttocks and legs as the opposite. In the event you can’t get your legs off the ground, you’re most likely not bringing the chest far sufficient ahead by the arms.
You may additionally have lowered your buttocks and raised your head (Determine 3: Incorrect) in order that even when the chest is way sufficient ahead of the arms, the burden remains to be too far again within the decrease physique.
The higher and decrease physique must be on roughly the identical degree. In the event you fell onto your head, it’s possible you’ll be elevating the buttocks and legs too excessive, thus shifting the steadiness on the seesaw too far ahead into the chest. Earlier than you strive the pose on the opposite facet, take a while to evaluate whether or not any of those factors apply to you.
Aspect Crow at a Wall
In case you are unable to deliver the legs off the ground, you may strive utilizing the help of a wall. Earlier than you proceed, nevertheless, examine that your thoughts is in a impartial state. In the event you’ve turn into flustered by your earlier makes an attempt—perhaps even verging on anger—it is going to turn into more and more tough to understand what you’re doing and how one can right your positioning.
Sit along with your proper facet touching a wall. Enter Marichyasana III once more with the left knee bent and the precise leg prolonged flush to the wall. Proceed as you probably did earlier than till you’re in a twisted squatting place with the arms positioned in entrance of you. Shifting your weight ahead onto your palms, step your proper foot onto the wall behind you. Evenly let the left foot observe so you’re perched with the toes up the wall (Determine 4). All you must do now’s shift your weight a bit of additional ahead, and the legs might be afloat.
Maybe you managed to get your legs off the ground solely to search out that your arms collapsed underneath you. That is not often an issue of weak arm muscle groups. Extra typically, the elbows have splayed out to the facet so the road of power from the wrist to the shoulder is damaged. Additionally, if the palms are positioned too near the physique, the forearms might be at too excessive an angle and the entire construction will col-lapse. (It’s like a desk with legs that aren’t fairly vertical; the second weight is positioned on the desk, the legs will fold.) This downside typically goes hand in hand with drawing the shoulders towards the ears so the burden shifts too far ahead of the palms. To keep away from falling ahead, launch the shoulders again away from the ears and broaden them as a lot as potential.
Parsva Bakasana Precautions
Individuals typically expertise pressure within the wrists when training arm balances, which is why many college students exclude them from their follow altogether. A few of this pressure is because of a scarcity of conditioning within the muscle groups of the forearm. Observe the next precautions:
By no means follow arm balances of any type on a tender, yielding floor, similar to carpet or sand, the place the bottom of the wrist drops beneath the extent of the fingers. This hyperextends and damages the wrist. A nonslip mat positioned on prime of a hardwood or linoleum ground is right.
Place the palms so the creases of the wrists are horizontal. This can be sure that even stress is being positioned on each the inside and outer wrist. It can additionally be sure that your elbows and shoulders are neither delivering nor out.
Unfold your fingers as broad as potential from the thumb to the little finger, so the palm could be very broad. This placement will distribute the burden over a higher floor space, lowering pressure on anybody a part of the wrist.
In the event you nonetheless really feel pressure within the wrists, strive lifting the bottom of the wrist with a folded mat to cut back the angle of extension.
Don’t despair if in these first makes an attempt you don’t handle to turn into airborne. Every time you embrace this arm steadiness in your follow, your physique will turn into a bit of extra acquainted with the positioning, and you’ll uncover the thriller of your particular person fulcrum level. In the event you can preserve the thoughts relaxed and inquisitive, as obstacles come up you should have a possibility to see what’s getting in the way in which and the way you may right it.
It’s slightly like attempting to untangle a gold chain in a rush. Venting frustration by forcing or pulling could solely tighten the knot. In the event you can strategy these difficult poses with the identical delicacy and persistence that you just may want to be able to untangle a gold chain, you should have mastered the artwork of seeing greater than a posture, you should have begun the method of seeing the self.
