Dhanurasana – a traditional yoga pose , practiced in most yoga schools. The bow pose got its name because the human body after entering the asana takes the form of a bow: the body and legs form the body of the bow (bowstring), and the arms form the rope, pulling the ends of the bowstring together.
Execution Technique
Step 1:
Lie on the floor face down. Exhale, bend your knees and pull your heels as close to your buttocks as possible. Reach back to your feet and grab your feet from the outside. Make sure your knees are hip-width apart and maintain this distance between your knees throughout the pose.
Step 2:
Inhale and strongly push your heels away from your buttocks and simultaneously lift your hips off the floor. Extend your torso and head upwards. Push your tailbone towards the floor and keep your back muscles soft. Lift your heels and hips higher, pressing your shoulder blades along your back, open your chest. Pull your shoulders away from your ears. The gaze is directed forward.
Step 3:
When your stomach is pressed to the floor, breathing will be difficult. But do not hold your breath – breathe deeply into the back of your torso.
Step 4:
Stay in the pose for 20 to 30 seconds.
Exiting the Pose
On the exhale, release your legs and smoothly return your torso and legs to the starting position. Take several breathing cycles. For compensation, it is recommended to perform Balasana (Child’s Pose).
Asana Adjustment / Control Points
- entering Dhanurasana, push your feet into your palms – this will help maintain balance;
- do not strain your back muscles; to do this, keep your legs strong and stretch them up and away from your body.
Benefits
- stretches the entire front of the body, hips and groin, abdomen and chest, ankles and deep hip flexors;
- strengthens back muscles;
- improves posture;
- improves blood flow in all limbs;
- stimulates abdominal organs, neck.
Contraindications
- high or low blood pressure;
- migraine;
- insomnia;
- injuries to the lower back and neck.
Preparatory Yoga Exercises
- Shalabhasana ;
- Setu Bandha Sarvangasana ;
- Supta Virasana;
- Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana ;
- Virasana.
Advanced Practice
Perform Dhanurasana with different hand positions: hold your ankles, hips and feet from the inside.
Variations
- Simplified version Sometimes beginners find it difficult to lift their hips off the floor. To make the task easier, place a rolled-up blanket under your hips.
- Complicated version – Parsva Dhanurasana (side bow pose) Perform Dhanurasana according to the steps described above. On the exhale, lower your right shoulder to the floor, strongly pull your left leg to the right and turn over to your right side. At first, it will be difficult to turn onto your side, but do not despair. You can practice turning without holding onto your feet: just bend your knees and use your hands to try to turn to feel the movement. After turning over, firmly hold your legs with your hands, preventing your feet from slipping. Stay on your right side for 20-30 seconds, and then on the exhale return back to your stomach. Repeat the asana on the left side.
Elena
Excellent pose, but not suitable for everyone. For example, I can't bend that much. I do it in class as much as I can. The pose is useful for women. After it, I feel lightness.
Lena
I approach each yoga pose individually for myself and proceed from the capabilities of my body. When performing Dhanurasana, the muscles that hold you are tense, and the rest are relaxed; you don't need to keep all the muscles tense, so at first, I had discomfort when performing it; I was all tense, and that's not correct.