What is Cobra Stretch Exercise?

It’s a modern yoga exercise (a reclining back-bending asana). but in physiotherapy, we called it Mackenzie exercises. This name is taken from the Sanskrit words भुजङ्ग bhujaṅga or snake Cobra and it’s called Cobra pose which mean the cobra posture when it’s ready to attack.

How to do Cobra stretch correctly?

There is two types as a sequence to do cobra stretch exercise as explained in the video below:

• Half cobra stretch: for beginners and low flexibility people.
• Full cobra stretch: advanced version of cobra for good flexibility people.

You can do this yoga exercise on a sports mattress, or on a thick rug. Start with laying yourself in a prone position (on your stomach).

Half cobra stretch, follow these steps :

1. Place your hands on the ground beneath and at the level of both shoulders, with both elbows bended 90 degrees.
2. Keep your both legs contracted firmly to the ground, apart, plantarflexed and it’s backside touching the ground.
3. Contract and hold your abdominal muscles during the exercise.
4. Keep raising your back until you reach the full stretch of your spine as much as you can, keeping 90 degrees elbow flexion, while you press the shoulder blades down.
5. Hold for 30 seconds then repeat 3 to 5 times.