Dhanurasana - The Bow Pose

Dhanurasana 

Posture

When this Asana is performed, it represents the appearance of a bow (Dhanus). The stretched arms and forelegs form the string of the bow. It bends the spine backwards. It supplements Bhujangasana. We can say it is a combination of Bhujangasana and Salabhasana with the addition of catching the ankles with the hands. Bhujangasana, Salabhasana and Dhanurasana form a valuable combination. They always go together. They form one set of Asanas. This combination acts as a counter-pose to Halasana and Paschimottanasana, which bend the spine forwards.

Procedure

1. Lie on your abdomen, feet together, forehead on the floor.
2. Bend your legs toward the hips and hold the feet at the ankles with your hands.
3. Breathing in, raise the head, chest and knees up.
4. Focus on widening the shoulders, bringing the knees together and lifting them higher.
5. Straighten the elbows by pushing the hands away with the feet and lift the chin up.
6. Hold and continue breathing in and out.
7. Breathing out, gently come down and press feet down onto hips, press the thighs into the floorto stretch the quadriceps.Release and relax.

Benefits

1. This is useful in chronic constipation, dyspepsia and sluggishness of liver.
2. It removes hunchback, rheumatism of legs, knee-joints and hands.
3. It reduces the fat, energises digestion, increases peristalsis, invigorates the appetite and relieves congestion of blood in the abdominal viscera and tones them also.
4. Dhanurasana is a blessing for people who suffer from gastro-intestinal diseases.
5. It keeps the spine elastic. It prevents premature ossification of bones.
6. He who does Halasana, Mayurasana and Dhanurasana can never become lazy. He is full of energy, vigour and vitality.

Video