Bow Pose

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Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) is a moderate to deep prone backbend. The knees are bent and the arms reach back towards the lifted feet.

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Benefits

• Energizing
• Strengthens the back
• Opens the chest and shoulders
• Helps mobility in the front body and hip flexors

Step by step

• Lie on your belly, with your hands by your side, palms facing up
• Bend your knees and take hold of your ankles with your hands
• Press your pubic bone down, draw your lower belly in and up
• On an inhalation, press your ankles into your hands, lifting your chest and thighs
• Slide your shoulder blades down and towards each other to open your chest
• Stay for a few breaths, breathing into your chest and ribs
• On an exhale, release your ankles, and gently lower down onto your belly, resting for a few breaths.

​​Beginners’ tips

• Make sure you have warmed up your spine before trying this pose – use lower backbends such as Cobra and Locust first.
• If it causes you discomfort when your hip bones press into the floor, you can place a folded yoga blanket under your pelvis.
• Try using a yoga strap around your ankles if you have trouble lifting from the ground.
• Try the pose in stages by only lifting your chest up, first of all - leaving your thighs and knees on the floor.

​Watch out for

• Avoid in case of high/low blood pressure, headaches and back injuries
• Try not to let your knees spread wider than hip-width apart
• Drop your chin towards your chest if you feel tension in the neck

Variations

• To deepen this pose, keep your knees and feet closer together. Or take hold of the inside of the ankles for an extra stretch on the shoulders and upper back.
• Use your back and abdominal muscles to rock forwards and backwards in this pose. You may need to place a folded blanket under your hips for extra padding.
• Practise one-sided versions of Bow Pose by extending the right leg back, resting on your right forearm while taking the left ankle with the left hand.
• You can also practise Bow Pose lying on your side.

Related poses

• Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
• Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
• Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)