Bhujangasana

Western Physiology

Bhujangasana has therapeutic effects on mental and physical health.

• Bhujangasana improves mental health:
  • Bhujangasana helps in relieving stress and fatigue (Colgrove et al., 2019; Dr Jyoti Gangwal et al., 2019).

• Bhujangasana stretches and strengthens the muscles:
  • It helps in stretching shoulders, abdomen, chest and lungs.
  • This pose helps firm the buttocks (Dr Jyoti Gangwal et al., 2019).

• Bhujangasana benefits the spine:
  • It helps strengthen and rejuvenate the spine and is recommended for those with a stiff back (Rakhshaee, 2011; Rathore et al., 2013; Sumchai, 2015).
  • It helps strengthen and extend the neck and upper part of the back (Guner & Inanici, 2015).
  • This pose diminishes kyphosis (Morse, 2007).
  • It helps relieve pain from sciatica (Dr Jyoti Gangwal et al., 2019).

• Bhujangasana improves respiration processes:
  • Aids strengthen muscles that assist in exhalation, making it therapeutic for individuals with asthma (Morse, 2007).
  • It opens the lungs and heart (Dr Jyoti Gangwal et al., 2019).

• Other therapeutic effects of Bhujangasana include but are not limited to:
  • This pose, in tandem with others, decreases the risk of cardiovascular diseases via improving BMI and regulating blood pressure (Balaji et al., 2012; Chauhan et al, 2017).
  • This pose, in tandem with others, has a positive effect on diabetics by helping lower insulin levels and improving fat redistribution and glucose utilization (Malhotra et al., 2005).
  • It helps stimulate the organs in the abdominal region (Dr Jyoti Gangwal et al., 2019).
  • Improves menstrual irregularities (Dr Jyoti Gangwal et al., 2019) and can help with painful menstrual periods (dysmenorrhea) (Rakhshaee, 2011).
  • The pose causes abdominal compression, which may help relieve constipation (Morse, 2007; Sinclair, 2011).

Yogic Physiology

• It elevates the mind and heart.
• It stimulates Udana Vayu.
• It places pressure on Nabhi (navel) and Basti (bladder) Marmas bringing Pranic flow to these regions of the body.
• It opens Anahata Akash (the heart space).
• It opens the KUM region of the body, bridging a sense of lightness to the whole body and mind.
• It is mentioned in traditional texts that Bhujanhasana increases body heat, kills disease and awakens kundalini.

Chinese Medicine

This posture works the Spleen and stomach meridians along the front of the body, also the main central and governing channels and the heart and small intestine meridians of the arms.

Contradictions and Cautions

• Do not perform this pose during pregnancy.
• Avoid practicing this pose in the case of:
  • back injury
  • headache
  • carpal tunnel syndrome

Preparatory Asanas

• Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
• Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana
• Salabhasana

Follow up Poses

• Backbends of your choice 

Tips for Beginners

Don’t overdo the backbend or any extension of the spine. Finding a height where you can feel comfortable and not strain your back is best. Take your hands off the floor for a moment, so the height you find is through extension, not the pressure you place on the hands.

Modifications and Props

If your back feels stiff, avoiding doing this pose on the floor may be best. Place a metal folding chair against the wall. Then perform the pose with your hands on the front edge of the seat and toes on the floor. Practice on a bolster to make it harder to balance whilst performing the pose. Use bricks under the hands and draw them into the body to increase the spine’s extension. Do remember to bring your shoulders down and away from the ears.

Deepen the Asana

If your armpits, chest and groin are flexible, you can move deeper into the backbend. To do so, walk the hands a little farther forward and straighten your elbows, turning the arms outward. Life the top of the sternum upwards toward the ceiling, keeping the back of the neck long.

Further Benefits

This pose is recommended to alleviate lumbago and prolapsed discs of the spine because this pose increases the flexibility of the spine. This pose, alongside other postures, is therapeutic for patients with asthma (Vedanthan et al., n.d.). It helps increase the blood circulation in the pelvic region and keeps the organs in the pelvis healthy (Dr Jyoti Gangwal et al., 2019). The research suggests that gentle daily back strengthening work is often considered better than back surgery in recovering from chronic lower back pain. As Professor Lorimer Moseley states, ‘movement is king’ in the recovery from chronic pain.