{"id":41469,"date":"2016-08-17T11:00:20","date_gmt":"2016-08-17T15:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=41469"},"modified":"2023-12-11T17:32:05","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T22:32:05","slug":"beginner-yoga-crow-pose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/beginner-yoga-crow-pose\/","title":{"rendered":"Crow Pose, Made Easy: 3 Steps to Pull It Off"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Crow
Photo by Alex Orlov<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For newbie yogis<\/a> (and even more seasoned devotees), crow pose can seem downright intimidating. Yet, mastering this move is easier than you might think \u2014\u00a0and we\u2019d say it\u2019s worthy of every yogi\u2019s bucket list.<\/p>\n

Why Crow Pose Is So Tricky<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Launching into crow is no easy feat: After pitching forward from a squat position<\/a>, you\u2019ll need to balance your entire bodyweight on just your hands. (And did we mention your knees are resting in your armpits, of all places?) \u201cYou need the strength and flexibility to get yourself in the right position to take flight, but once you\u2019re [there] a lot of it is the balance, core work<\/a> and\u2026being able to stack your bones correctly,\u201d says NYC-based yoga instructor Kristin McGee. But once you\u2019re there? \u201cIt almost feels effortless, like you are flying.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong>\u00a026 Resources to Step Up Your Yoga Game<\/a><\/p>\n

Catching air will take some prep work, though. The secret to building up to crow lies in strengthening and stretching a few key areas of your body, before popping into position, according to McGee. \u201cA deep squat is important to work on, because you need that range of motion in your hips to get your knees high enough around your armpits,\u201d McGee says. (Check out how to squat lower here<\/a>.) \u201cYour armpit is like a baseball glove and your knee is like the ball, it should be a perfect fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re scared of falling flat on your face, McGee recommends creating a \u201ccrash pad\u201d to ward off worries. \u201cPut some blankets or pillows at the front of your mat, so even if you fall forward, at least that gives you a sense and understanding of how far forward you need to be in order to get into that position.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Yoga 101: How to Fix Your Chaturanga Pose<\/a><\/p>\n

Practice these three moves and before you know it, you\u2019ll be popping into crow like a pro.<\/p>\n

3 Moves to Help You Master Crow Pose<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Crow
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Deep Yoga Squat
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How to:<\/strong> Stand with feet hip-distance apart (a)<\/strong>. Rise onto your tiptoes, and hold your arms straight out in front of you (b)<\/strong>. Slowly lower your body into a deep squat, until your thighs are parallel to the floor (c)<\/strong>. Return to standing.<\/p>\n

\"Crow
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Reverse Squat
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How to:<\/strong> Start with feet planted on the floor, turned out and slightly wider than hip-distance. (a)<\/strong>. Descend into a deep yoga squat until your butt is nearly touching the ground. Use a blanket or weighted bag to anchor your hands onto the floor (b)<\/strong>. Slowly straighten your legs, lowering your head to look between your knees (c)<\/strong>. Lower back<\/a> into a squat.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>15 Stretches You Should Do Every Damn Day<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Crow
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Modified Crow
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How to:<\/strong> Get into a deep yoga squat, toes slightly turned out, heels on the ground (a)<\/strong>. With your arms between your knees, plant your hands on the ground, shoulder-width apart, elbows pulled in near the sides of your body (b)<\/strong>. Pull shoulders away from ears (c)<\/strong>. Transition onto the balls of your feet, lifting your butt into the air (d)<\/strong>. Walk your feet in closer to your body, until you can fit your knees into the spaces created by your armpits on both sides (e)<\/strong>. Lift one foot off the ground, then return it to the mat. Repeat on opposite side.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019re feeling strong in modified crow, it\u2019s time to try the real deal. One pro tip from McGee: Make sure your shoulders are pulled back and down \u2014 don\u2019t slouch! Then, engage your abdominal muscles to hold yourself in position. Before you know it, you\u2019ll be flying.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>How to Maximize Your Yoga Calorie Burn<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Crow
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Crow Pose
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How to:<\/strong> Get into a deep yoga squat, toes slightly turned out, heels on the ground (a)<\/strong>. With your arms between your knees, plant your hands on the ground, shoulder-width apart, elbows pulled in near the sides of your body (b)<\/strong>. Pull shoulders away from ears (c)<\/strong>. Transition onto the balls of your feet, lifting your butt into the air (d)<\/strong>. Walk your feet in closer to your body, until you can fit your knees into the spaces created by your armpits (e)<\/strong>. Shift your weight forward towards your fingertips (f)<\/strong>. Float your toes up into the air, keeping your gaze directed at the mat. Aim to hold the pose for a few seconds, gradually adding time as your body grows stronger.<\/p>\n

Not a Daily Burn member? Sign up at\u00a0dailyburn.com<\/a>\u00a0and start your free 30-day trial today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Originally published July 2015. Updated August 2016.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re new to yoga, lifting your body into crow pose can seem impossible \u2014 but these three exercises might help you finally pull it off. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":41476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,19],"tags":[32,289,145,341,355,286],"class_list":["post-41469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-yoga","tag-bodyweight","tag-exercise","tag-stretching","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2yoga","tag-yoga"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}