Cobra pose is one that's always evolving for me. A few years ago, I learned this undulation technique, which changed the pose completely. I still love to use it to deepen the backbend. Then, one of my teachers recently started suggesting that, in addition to rooting the pelvis down to the floor, the abdomen should be toned so that the navel actually draws in. I'm still playing with this one, but when I get it, it brings a new lift to my upper body.
While we're here, let me say a word about the position of the head and neck in this pose. There's been a lot of discussion over the past few days on the yoga blogs and tweets about an article that appeared on the New York Times website late last week, entitled How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body. One of the poses mentioned by the author, William J. Broad, as a possible cause of neck injury and even stroke is cobra. Broad quotes B.K.S. Iyengar instructing that the head should be brought as far back as possible in this pose. But that's not how most people, including myself, instruct the pose these days. The neck, which does tend to be vulnerable, can be kept in a much more neutral position, with the gaze straight ahead or even downward. Taking the neck out of the equation allows for more focus on the back. It may not be the most classic version of the pose, but it is a safer option.
