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How to Do Kakasana – Benefits & Yoga Pose Tutorial

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Want to learn more about Kakasana, aka Crow Pose? In this post, I share the benefits of Kakasana, a complete yoga pose breakdown, contraindications, myths, modifications and more.

Barbara Bakos, Illustrator

This is often the first arm balance students learn. Your body is compact when entering the pose, which can help you find your centre of gravity (and that place of balance) more easily than many arm balances where your legs are stretching in opposite directions.

That does not mean this pose is easy. In fact, the hardest part about Kakasana for most people is that the fear of falling is powerful and it holds them back. Jane has written an in-depth article about how to work on your fear that I highly recommend if you’re dealing with fear holding you back in any aspect of your life.

One way to work on overcoming your fear is by working carefully and systematically.

  • Building the core strength you need to hold yourself up as you take flight.
  • Learn how to use the back of your arms as a pivot point by pushing down with your legs to shift the weight of your torso forward.
  • Learn how to push the earth away with your hands to help stabilise your shoulders.
  • And maybe most importantly: learn to fall — and learn that the worst thing that usually happens is you laugh at yourself.

If you do fall, get back up and practice it again. Kakasana is a gateway pose that opens up all kinds of transitions and different arm balances — so get working on it to keep expanding your practice.

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Kakasana Quick Facts

SanskritKakasana (often called Bakasana)
EnglishCrow Pose
Pronunciationkah-KAHS-uh-nuh
MeaningKaka means crow.
Asana means pose or posture.
Kakasana means Crow Pose. In this pose, your hands become the crow’s feet, and your elbows bend backwards like a crow’s knees.

Kakasana Benefits

Note: I only include the scientifically supported benefits of Kakasana here. Plenty of claims about other supposed benefits (from the plausible to the magical to the ridiculous) have been made. To me, pseudo-scientific claims only serve to harm the yoga community, so I choose not to give them airtime here.

The main physical benefits of Kakasana include:

  • Strengthens arms so they can hold your body weight.
  • Strengthens core to help hold you up.
  • Strengthens glutes and adductors.
  • Strengthens shoulder stabilisers.
  • Prepares you for most other arm balances.
  • It helps make your wrists stronger.
  • Your spine is toned and strengthened.
  • Your upper back gets a good stretch.
  • The pose can improve your sense of balance and focus.
  • Helps to build confidence and courage to help overcome fear.

If you want more on the benefits of yoga, see our complete guide to the benefits of yoga, which includes a history of yoga plus the origins of our modern yoga practice and much more.

stephen doing crow pose on a pillar at the trevi fountain amid a crowd of tourists
Doing half-Crow half-Crane pose at the Trevi Fountain. I swear, no one even noticed!

Precautions & Contraindications

Remember that while yoga is for everyone, not all poses are for all people!

  • If you have a wrist injury, you may want to avoid the pose. You could also use a yoga wedge to reduce strain. See Modifications below.
  • If you have any injury to your hips, knees, wrists or shoulders then it is best to avoid practicing the full expression of Kakasana. Modify the pose with props or support instead. See Modifications section below.
  • If you have a hiatal hernia, you should heal fully before attempting this pose.
  • If you have vertigo, this pose will likely be difficult.
  • Caution is recommended for students with heart problems, carpal tunnel syndrome or cerebral thrombosis.
  • Avoid if suffering from spondylitis.
  • If you have blood pressure difficulties, it is likely best to avoid this pose.

Misconceptions & Myths About Crow Pose

Crow Pose v Crane Pose

I wrote about the differences between Crow and Crane (Kakasana and Bakasana) in my post about Bakasana. If you want to know more, check it out here.

Kakasana Pose Breakdown

How to do Kakasana / Crow Pose

There are several different option for entering Kakasana. I will offer instructions to enter the pose from Malasana. I feel this to be the most easily accessible option, for the majority of practitioners.

  1. Start in Malasana. If you can bring your feet flat to the ground, do. You may need to separate your feet a bit wider to make this possible.
  2. Place your hands flat on the ground, with your wrists parallel to the front of your mat, and the middle of your wrists as wide as your outer shoulders.
  3. Lift your hips, lift your heels, and lean forward.
  4. Place your knees on the back of your upper arms. Keep your arms bent.
  5. Push into your hands, use your core to lift your hips, stretch your breast bone forward as you lean forward.
  6. Squeeze your arms in and push your legs down into your arms. Lean forward.
  7. Bend your knees so that your feet come off the ground. Bring the inner edges of your feet together if possible (this increases stability). This is Kakasana.
  8. Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths and then exit as you entered the pose (but in reverse, obvs) OR float back the Chaturanga Dandasana and “take a vinyasa”.

When you are new to practicing this pose you might get bruises on the back of your arms. This usually only happens when you are new to the pose or haven’t practiced it for a long time.

The next challenge after becoming comfortable with Kakasana (because there is always more in yoga) is to float back out of Kakasana into Chaturanga Dandasana. And then you can practice floating into it from Down Dog or coming down into it from Tripod Headstand!

stephen doing bakasana pose on a green yoga mat
Stephen doing Kakasana (a.k.a. Crow Pose). Note the bent arms and knees resting on the back of the elbows.

Modifications & Variations

If your knees don’t touch your upper arms

It can help to use two yoga blocks under your feet. This makes the ground further away for your hands, so it lifts your knees higher in relation to your arms. This can help you get your knees on to the back of your arms but the extra height can also increase the fear factor. You have been warned.

If your wrists hurt or arms feel stressed

Don’t raise the butt as high. This can put excessive strain on your arms or wrists. If you lower your hips, you will also have to stretch your chest forward more as counter-balance.

You can also use a yoga wedge under your wrists, as this decreases the amount of wrist extension needed.

If you cannot put weight on your hands

You can practise the shape of the pose on your back first, starting in Happy Baby Pose and then recreating the shape of Kakasana on your back. There is still LOTS of work to do in this variation!

If you are new to practicing Kakasana

There are lots of different props you can use when you’re new to practicing Kakasana. These are some of my favourite options.

  • Blanket/Bolster: Place a folded yoga blanket or yoga bolster on the ground below where your face or forehead might land if you fall. This helps build confidence and is also useful to soften your falls!
  • Lift only one foot: Practice lifting only one foot off the ground. Do this a few times on one side, then do the same on the other side. This will help you gain confidence, build arm strength and improve your ability to balance.
  • Use a chair: This can take a bit of practice to do! Set a chair up at the wall so that back legs touch the wall. This will help ensure it doesn’t tip over. Place blocks on the ground in front of the chair. Squat on the chair with your back to the wall. Reach your hands down to the blocks. Lean forward and bring your knees to the back of your arms. Keep your feet on the chair seat. Hold Crow Pose here with your feet on the chair, hands on the blocks.

If you have a neck injury

Do not look forward. Instead keep your gaze down towards the ground, or just slightly in front of you.

Preparatory Poses

Follow-up Poses

Poses To Take Your Practice Further

Post: Bakasana Benefits and How To
Post: Phalakasana Benefits & Yoga Pose Tutorial
Video: Yoga Pose Breakdown | Kakasana (Crow Pose)

Gear & Resources for This Pose

Save 10% on cork yoga gear

Good for the planet and great for your practice!

A Final Note About Crow Pose

This is a pose that is a key part of any arm balance practice. But do you need an arm balance practice? Heck no. It doesn’t make you a better person (unless it does), and you can have a fulfilling and exciting yoga journey without any arm balances.

But if you want to play with this exhilarating category of poses, Kakasana is really the doorway into that world. I hope this pose helps you knock on that door so you can start to see what’s on the other side.

Namaste OMies, Stephen stephen ewashkiw emoji

I hope this post has been helpful in expanding your possibilities with Crow Pose. I want these posts to inspire you to explore your yoga practice more deeply and I hope this post helps you see this fairly common pose with new awareness and understanding. The more you understand about each pose, the more it will help you find the strength and clarity needed to live your adventure to the fullest!

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About Stephen

Stephen has been teaching yoga for more than 10 years and has achieved the highest possible certificate from Yoga Alliance, E-RYT 500. He travels the world to teach yoga and has taught thousands of students in 25 countries.