You may hear some teachers call “bakasana” crane pose and some call it crow pose. While the translation of “bakasana” means either one of these things, the actual poses are different. This leads to some confusion which The Green Yogi‘s Jamie Horgan cleared up during her Core & Arm Balance workshop last week. As Jamie explained:
Crow pose is the “easier” variation of the arm balance. In this pose, the elbows are bent as if in Chaturanga. The knees rest near the armpit, and the shins may slightly rest on the upper arm:
In crane pose, the “harder” variation is taken. The arms are completely straight, eliminating the possibility to rest the shins on the upper arms. Even though crane is considered to be the harder variation, you may find it is easier for your body. Try it next time you join us on the mat!
Join us over the remainder of the summer as we continue to focus on asana!
Finally, I know the difference! I’ve always been confused about crane/crow and whether there was a difference. I also only recently learned the difference between cobra and upward facing dog – it seems like the more I learn, the more there is to learn!
I’m learning this pose now; thanks for the picture and explanation! When you say “chins,” I assume you mean shins, right?
Yes, I believe than is what we meant
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I’ve just entered the Crane Pose Challenge at http://www.konkura.com/challenge/?uid=d027d660-d700-4e32-8e4d-c320d65b1a7a&t=The+Crane+Pose+Challenge ? Can anyone do over 2 minutes?