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If you’re having trouble doing a full cobra pose, I recommend trying out baby cobra instead. Baby cobra allows you to focus more on the proper muscle engagement and develop a solid foundation of strength and mobility, before moving on to the deeper arch involved in a full cobra pose.
For baby cobra, you’ll set up exactly the same as you did for cobra, with your chest flat on the ground, feet flipped, legs squeezing together, and hands under your shoulders.
However, instead of lifting off the ground, like we do for cobra pose, you’re going to keep your chest flat on the ground, and focus on the proper core and lower-body engagement.
Make sure you’re pressing the tops of your feet into the ground and firmly squeezing your legs together. Squeeze your thighs so your knees lift off the ground.
Internally rotate your thighs so your knees face down.
Next we focus on the core. Exhale as completely as possible, squeezing your abs to bring your belly button closer to your lower-back. This feeling of tightness in the mid-section of your body is core engagement, and you should feel this in your core for the duration of cobra pose.
Maintaining this thigh and core engagement, lift your torso 1 or 2 inches away from the ground. Use your hands to pull your chest forward and lengthen your torso. There should be no pain in your back. If there is, make sure you’re doing everything I just told you to do with your legs and core, or just keep your chest flat on the ground.
Practice this for a minimum of 15-20 seconds, and work your way up to 30 seconds
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