Bow Pose - Dhanurasana

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 in 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 exhalation, release your ankles, and gently lie down on your belly for a few breaths.

Beginners’ tips

• Place a folded blanket under your pelvis to avoid your hip bones pressing into the floor
• Try using a strap around your ankles if you have trouble lifting from the ground
• Try the pose in stages by only lifting your chest up, leaving your thighs and knees on the floor
• Make sure you have warmed up your spine before trying this pose – use lower backbends such as Cobra and Locust first.

Try it in class

19:31

Bend your bow

Sandra Carson

Anusara, Vinyasa Flow

Benefits

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

Watch out for

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

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.