Okay -I know I'm just missing something on crow - I've tried it in class, watch videos on-line and read a bunch of stuff and I still feel like I'm missing something. Everyone tells me it isn't what I think I need to do. So I thought if I heard more stories about how your get into crow that eventually someone will say something that will click for me. Thanks

Ok Debra the first thing you have to do is pull a teacher aside after class. Nothing can replace a teacher looking at your body in a pose and cueing you appropriately. Plus we'll cheer you on and help you birth your first baby crow like no video can!

My advice:
Keep your hips HIGH - point your but up in the air.
Loof waaaay forward - a foot out in front of your hands.
Don't kick or jump up, just gradually lean more weight into your hands/arms.

Good luck!!!!

Hi Debra,

Thank you for posting the question!
I love crow, crane, headstand, tripod and handstand; I have a love / hate relationship with forearm balances :-)
Crow is a lovely pose it is from the inversion series of postures from 84 asanas. There is a tremendous amount of shoulder strength needed for all of these postures and one posture that gave me great shoulder strength is hand stand (you are probably thinking great, I can't even balance in crow and she is asking me to do handstand!!!) Fear not, there are simple ways of using a wall and the teachers can assist you in the process. Anyway you are asking about crow not hand stand...

Here is how I do it.
1. Kneel on four points fingers spread wide (cat pose)
2. Draw the shoulders down away from the ears, this will set the shoulders wide apart feel your chest lift and press forward (nipples are trying to face forward instead of down towards the floor)
3. Place the heel of the hands (not fingertips) directly under the wide shoulders
4. Keep the shoulders and chest in this strong wide position, flip under the toes, pull in your belly button, lift it toward the spine and keep it there. Raise the hips slowly without moving the chest and shoulders out of their strong position
5. Bend the elbows slightly and pull the elbow points toward each other, this will set the upper back and shoulders in strong position
6. This is really hard to do and you may be trembling by now that is ok, you are building strength
7. gradually walk your feet closer to your hands, your head is in front of the shoulders, your shoulders are directly above the wrists, your elbows are bent and point directly back toward the wall behind you.
8. Without collapsing the back and shoulders (shaking is great!) keep the hips high, stay on the tips of your big toes in the balls of your feet ( you are basically in a bent elbow hand stand, that is if your feet were off the floor, that's high your hips have to be
8. Keep high with the hips, stay high on the tips of your toes, keep the stomach sucked in, separate the knees about an inch on both sides, lean forward (right now you think you are about to fall on your face) keep the fingers spread wide, 90% of your body weight is resting in the hands (your hands are bearing weight like your feet do if you were standing)
9. Rest the inside of the knees against your elbow points, before you lift the toes into the air squeeze your knees against the arms, but do not let the arms move, they are like a wall. (Isometric contraction) you will feel the muscles on the inner thighs contract if you are doing it correctly
10. Balanced on your tippy toes, pushing down into your hands, sucking in the stomach and resisting your knees against your arms, gently lift the toes off the floor

I am not sure if you have the time, can you make it to 84 asanas at Plano on Fridays 1:15pm?
We work hard at strengthening into the inversions
Come along and have fun with us.

Thanks -I'll read and re-read those and try to process that in my next Earth class. I don't usually have the time after my 6am class to bug the teacher -but maybe one day I need to. And I cannot make the 1:15 84 asanas I'm afraid. I'm mostly a 6am or 8pm gal.

Hi Debra, If you can find an 8 pm 90 minute Wood class, the last 30 minutes are a GREAT time to talk crow. It's a open discussion forum and just having finished a 60 minute Wood class, your body is strong and activated.

The big "a-ha's" for me are keeping the eye gaze up and squeezing the heck out of the lower abs! But also remember that at first you may only get a toe or two off the ground at a time, and that's OK too! Let us know how it goes!

Ohh - i'll look for the 90 min wood next week. Thanks.