Bhujangasana (cobra pose)

Bhujangasana (cobra pose)

To do this pose:

Come down to your mat on your stomach with your hands underneath your shoulders. On your inhale, press into your hands, lift the head and chest while arching the upper back. Open up through your chest, your collarbones and your chest while engaging your abs to protect your low back. Come up only as high as is comfortable for you without putting any strain on your back. Hold as long as you like or move through inhales and exhales coming up and down with the breath.

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It strengthens the spine and spinal muscles. We’ve talked a lot about lengthening and stretching the spine, but it’s important to also strengthen those muscles to prevent back injuries. Moving back and forth from down and up into cobra is a great exercise for the back. 
• It stretches the chest and shoulders. After hunching over your computer and your patients all day, this pose is a great one to open up the front body and chest. 
• It opens your heart, lungs, and throat. Breath deeply and really expand your lungs while holding this pose as well as opening the heart and throat. As a nurse, these areas can be closed a lot during your work, either your heart to protect yourself or your throat to keep your opinions about certain things to yourself. When these are closed too often, they become weak. So sit in cobra and feel your heart and throat open up so that you can feel and love and SPEAK your truths when you leave the day behind.