How to Do a Rabbit Pose in Yoga

Moves and counter moves. So it goes for chess and yoga. Do a back bend and enhance the experience markedly by following it with a forward bend. Rabbit pose is considered an intense forward-bending posture that soothes the spine after performing the equally-intense back-bending Camel pose. The only challenge may be the length of your arms and the flexibility of your back. To reach behind you along the length of your body to grasp your heels requires one or the other; preferably both. You can work around this by using a yoga strap to lasso your feet until your back can round sufficiently.

Things You'll Need

• Yoga mat
• Yoga strap

Step by steps

1. Come onto your knees on a yoga mat. Slide your knees together and your feet together. Lay the tops of your feet on the mat so that your heels are pointing upward. Sit back on your heels.

2. Cup your heels with your hands and lay your thumbs along the outsides of your heels. Exhale and lower your chin to your chest. Follow this by rounding your back and lowering your head toward the floor. Lift your hips toward the ceiling and slide your head closer to your knees or inch your knees toward your head; whichever movement feels better for you. Breathe as naturally as possible and then release the pose after 20 to 30 seconds.

3. Add a yoga strap if you're not very bendy or if your arms are short. Wrap the middle of the strap around the backs of your heels and hold one end of the strap in each hand. Lift your hips, fold forward and touch your forehead to the floor. Pull gently on the ends of the strap and inch your hands along the strap to maneuver your body into the pose. Practice this pose often to increase the flexibility of your spine.