I haven’t seen this pose done alot and based on a quick Google search there are quite a few variations. But I’ve been doing Crocodile and it’s a calming, relaxing pose with a mild backbend thrown in.

Following the picture in the link above (not the directions) I let my head rest straight down. I had my arms crossed comfortably but my upper arms at enough of an angle to lift my shoulders so that my hairline was the resting point. This allows the neck to stretch. You need to keep the shoulders active, so they’re not scrunchy around the ears. It’s cool to find a back bend that’s in a face-down position. I think this would be a great posture for someone who’s feeling down and wants to feel sheltered but also get the feeling of openness that a back bend provides.

Crocodile is also interesting from a breathing perspective. Because you’re lying on your belly and your diaphragm isn’t free, it’s a great opportunity to practice breathing into your back. Ana Forrest talked about directing breath in one of her workshops. She had us physically direct our breath into a part of our torso that needed attention. She said, I’m not talking about visualization here, I mean really direct your breath there. And then she talked us through the various options. It was very cool to actually feel my breath create space into my shoulders - I had always taken those kinds of instructions as being a visualization thing, I never thought my lungs and the air in them could actually create space.

So back to Crocodile, this pose would be a good way to help students understand how to direct their breath into their back because there aren’t alot of other options in this pose! You can really feel the sensation of your back ribs fanning out and/or your chest opening. I plan to try it at this week’s classes.