Exercise – Crane Pose

The Crane Pose, also known as bakasana, requires strength, concentration, and trust. This is a great exercise we can pull from yoga to parkour – helping us to build wrist and upper arm strength. Where would we see a similar pose in parkour? The catpass, monkey, or kong vault has a similar shape; many of our quadrupedal movement requires high hip or straight-armed movements, and for building confidence towards similar inversions. The asana is a progression following the crow pose so be sure to have a bit of practice first!

Bend down from the hips and stretch your arms forward. The hands will be placed flat and wide on the ground with the fingers extending out. Place the knees on the back of the triceps as you start to learn forward. Pull those toes back and the shoulders forward while you continue lifting the hips. Squeeze those legs against the arms tightly.

After mastering the Crane Pose, you can work towards one of the following:

• One Legged Crane Pose to challenge your balance
• Psuedo Planche Position to build stronger shoulders and torso
• Tuck Planche for an advanced strength feat