About this Asana Digest

Poses

Bakasana (Crane Pose) and Kakasana (Crow Pose), plus related poses such as Baby Crow (Crow Pose on forearms), Eka Pada Bakasana (One Legged Crane / Crow Pose), Eka Pada Bakasana II (One Legged Crane / Crow Pose II) and Bakasana B (Jumping into Crane Pose)

Objective

Become knowledgeable about the pose and review detailed teaching considerations.

Description

Explain the Sanskrit naming; contraindications and cautions; associated benefits and typical effects; instructions and cues for setting up and practicing the pose; variations to meet particular intentions and needs; and more teaching considerations.

Prerequisite Knowledge

Asana Digests focus in on teaching specific poses. Please be aware of the groundwork and teaching support here: Asana Category – Arm Balancing Poses

Bakasana

bahk-AHS-anna
“baka” = crane
Crane Pose

Kakasana

kahk-AHS-anna
“kaka” = crow
Crow Pose

Heart of the Pose

• Arm Balance
• With hips higher than head, it’s also an Inversion

Naming & Differentiation

• Most often, Bakasana is translated as Crane Pose and Kakasana as Crow Pose. Some sources use the name Bakasana but refer to it as Crow.
• Some sources consider Crow Pose and Crane Pose to refer to the same asana. Some sources differentiate them — including Yoga International (here) and Kino McGregor in Yoga Journal (here).
• In most cases, the poses are differentiated by the arms: Bakasana has straight arms and Kakasana has bent arms. In this article, the author notes Kakasana not only has bent arms, but also, the legs are outside the triceps instead of on them. In this version, she explains, the hips should stay low instead of lifting as in Bakasana.

In Iyengar yoga and the Ashtanga Vinyasa tradition, the posture is known as Baka Sana (generally translated correctly as a crane), but in the Sivananda tradition, it is known as Kakasana, even if the arms are straight. In Sivananda and Satyananda yoga, Bakasana is a different posture altogether – a standing one-legged forward bend. – Jennifer Ellinghaus,  YogiTimes, Bakasana is Not the Crow link

Notes

• Considered foundational pose for more advanced arm balances.
• In Eka Pada Bakasana, the shin of the lower leg is parallel to the long side of the mat. In Eka Pada Galavasana (Flying Crow Pose), the lower shin is parallel to the front of the mat.

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