How to Do Side Crow Yoga Pose: Stretches and Tips

Ready to put a twist on your Crow Pose? Parsva Bakasana, also known as Side Crow Pose or Side Crane Pose, adds a major challenge to the classic arm balance. In regular Crow Pose, each knee touches one of your arms. In Side Crow, you hoist both knees to one side, so it’s considerably harder to find your center of gravity.

Because this pose is a twist and a full arm balance, it’s difficult to learn — but so satisfying to master. It has all the benefits and good vibes of an inversion with a detoxifying layer of compression on top!

Side Crow is an advanced posture, so make sure you’re fully comfortable in Crow Pose (Kakasana) before you dive in. If you need help, try this Alo Moves tutorial with Dylan Werner — and maybe give these Crow Pose props and variations a try.

Benefits of Side Crow

Strengthens your entire upper body, including your back, arms, and wrists
Improves your core strength
Stretches your back and groin muscles
Massages internal organs

Contraindications

Consult a medical professional — or avoid this pose all together — if you have wrist or arm issues or injuries. Same goes for anything that would keep you from doing an inversion, like very high blood pressure.

How to Do Side Crow

1.

Come into a toe stand position on your mat, with your knees bent and your heels off the floor, and twist toward one side.

2.

Place both hands flat on your mat about shoulder-distance apart, with your opposite-side tricep as high as possible on your outer thigh.

3.

Lean forward and begin to bend your elbows. Let this movement tip your shoulders down and your hips up. Try to keep your shoulders relatively even.

4.

While gazing slightly forward, point your toes to lift your feet off the ground.

5.

Pull your heels to your glutes to engage your hamstrings.

Follow-Up Poses for Side Crow

Props for Side Crow

A block and a bolster can add some stability to Side Crow. You can try with your feet on a single block so your legs can come up more easily. Placing a bolster in front of you can help take away your fear of falling so you can focus on the pose.

Parsva Bakasana’s meaning

Parsva Bakasana literally means “Side Crane Pose.” Crane Pose and Crow Pose are different, but very similar: You bend your elbows for standard Crow and straighten your arms for Crane. The shape of your arms is much more Crow-like here, but both Side Crow and Side Crane can be used interchangeably.