Side CrowSave PDF
Parsva Kakasana
PARSH-vah kah-KAH-sah-nah
Strengthens shoulders, abs and wrists
Massages abdominal organs
Develops body awareness and focus
How to perform Side Crow
- Begin in Chair. Bring your palms together in front of your chest.
- Twist your torso to the left with an exhale. Press your right upper arm against the outside of your left thigh, as high on your arm as possible.
- Bend your knees deeply and place both hands flat on the floor to your left, shoulder-width apart. Lift your heels as needed.
- Shift forward. Focus your gaze at one point below you and lift your toes toward your buttocks. Work toward straightening your arms and bringing your shins parallel to the floor.
- Balance in the pose and take slow, deep breaths.
- Lower with an exhale. Rise back to Chair with an inhale. Change sides
Alignment cues
- Spread fingers wide
- Strongly engage core
- Draw heels toward buttocks
- Place thigh high on upper arm
- Focus your gaze beneath you
Modification: Rest your bottom hip on the back of the other arm. Keep the arms bent.
Avoid this pose if you have carpal tunnel syndrome, or low back or wrist injury.
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More yoga poses to discover
Side Crow (Parsva Kakasana in Sanskrit) is an intermediate yoga pose that belongs to the balancing and core categories. This asana targets abs, forearms, obliques, shoulders and wrists, and also involves lower back, spine and triceps muscles. Side crow massages abdominal organs; strengthens shoulders, abs and wrists and also develops body awareness and focus. Refer to the illustration and instructions above for how to perform this posture correctly. Discover more yoga asanas and yogic breathing exercises in our free yoga pose directory – a visual resource for yoga teacher training students as well as practitioners of all levels. Finally, shop our best-selling Yoga Cards products!
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Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
