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Posture Guides

Bow Pose

2/15/2021

 
Picture

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


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)

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  • Welcome
  • About
    • Gallery
    • Our small crew
    • About Humanist Yoga
  • How Yoga Helps
  • Calendars
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