Reduce Stress & Increase Confidence with Cobra Pose

When it comes to our posture and our stance, we typically are concerned about how others perceive us (for those who even care to consider it), yet we rarely consider how it is affecting the way we feel. The way in which we display our body has significant implications on our psychological and physiological state, which in turn, affects our behaviour. The phrase ‘power poses’ refer to the open and expansive postures conducted by humans that represent strength or after times of victory. One example of such a power pose is the classic Superman stance, recognized as feet wider than hip width with his hands closed in fists on his hips. In contrast to power poses, we even display powerlessness when we position our body in contractive poses, such as when we feel cold and we cross our arms over our chest and curl up into a ball. We aren’t often intentional about how we are conducting ourselves and aren’t cognizant that the way we position and display our bodies can significantly alter our state. The results of certain studies have proven that posing powerfully (such as the Superman stance) for a minimum of one minute increases testosterone and decreases cortisol, and participants in these poses feel a stronger sense of power and tolerance for risk. As one would expect, posing in contractive or ‘powerlessness’ poses provide the opposite effects.

Other studies have even shown that not only power poses, but certain yoga poses characterized by an expansive posture increase self-esteem even just for two minutes. One study in particular measured the hormonal effects of the Cobra pose on participants experienced in yoga. They found that after doing the cobra pose, their cortisol decreased by 11% and testosterone increased by 16%. Since simply adopting the cobra pose can decrease cortisol by a statistically significant amount, it can be used as a tool to reduce stress and anxiety. In addition, testosterone rises which implies that not only does the cobra pose reduce stress and anxiety but is able to increase confidence as well.

So, if you’re ever feeling like your day is getting the best of you, or you need to get in the zone for a presentation at work, simply drop down on the floor, get in the cobra pose and take a couple deep breaths. In only a couple of minutes, you’ll be in the right state to be your Superman (or Wonder Woman) self.