Vinyala

Pose sheet

Jumping Crocodile Pose

Nakrāsanaनक्रासन

Hop forward and backward from Chaturanga, keeping your body horizontal and feet together.

Open this pose in the 3D body

Steps

Support

Both palms and toes; no ground contact while airborne.

Enter

  1. From Plank, bring your feet together and straighten your legs.
  2. Place palms shoulder-width apart, with fingers spread.
  3. Shift shoulders slightly forward; exhale and bend your elbows backward.
  4. Keep your body horizontal, with shoulders at elbow height.

Hold

  1. Inhale and hop forward, pushing off hands and feet simultaneously.
  2. Exhale as you land, maintaining your body's alignment.
  3. Keep abdominals and legs active, without dropping or lifting your pelvis.
  4. Reverse the hops until you return to your starting point.

Exit

  1. Finish your last hop in Chaturanga.
  2. Inhale and move into Upward-Facing Dog.
  3. Exhale and move into Downward-Facing Dog.
Breathing
Inhale at takeoff; exhale as you land.
Gaze
Tip of your nose, nāsāgra dṛṣṭi.
Duration
Five hops forward, then five backward.

Adapt

Adaptations

  • Preparation without hoppingHold Chaturanga without lifting your hands or feet.
  • Preparation with knees groundedGround both knees and practice lowering without hopping.
  • Shorter rangeFrom Plank, lower partway and press back up without hopping.
  • Wall preparationPlace palms on a wall; bend and straighten your elbows.

Variations

  • Keep your feet 30 cm apart; exhale as you hop, and breathe between hops.

Signals of effort

  • Weight on both wrists in extension.
  • Hands and feet lift off simultaneously.
  • Repeated landings on your palms and toes.
  • Body suspended horizontally, close to the floor.