Standing Bow Pose
Dandayamana Dhanurasana
Standing Bow Pulling Pose
Benefits
Increases circulation to heart and lungs, helps with lower back pain, and opens up the diaphragm and the lungs.
The Mechanics of the Pose
- Stand with your feet together, balance evenly distributed.
- Bring your right arm snug to your side and turn your right hand so the palm is facing out.
- Take your right foot off the floor and hold your right ankle with your right hand.
- Extend your left arm up straight above your head.
- Now bend forward. Your left arm should be reaching out in front of you.
- Extend your right leg out and up, keeping your knee behind you. Shift your right shoulder back to keep a firm grip on your ankle.
- Bring your upper body further down toward the ground until your stomach is parallel with the floor, but make sure your chest and left arm are angled upwards.
- Lower your upper body, drawing your right leg up further into the bow, and point the toes of your right foot to the sky.
Tips, Observations, and Pointers
- Don’t kick back the lifted leg too quickly, you won’t easily be able to lower your upper body. But, if you don’t kick enough in the beginning, you won’t truly stretch and your mobility will be limited.
- Your hips are not square in this pose.
- This pose required patience. Begin working on lowering your upper body and then focus on kicking back the leg. If you kick back too much, you can’t lower your body enough to correctly assume the pose.
Modifications
If beginners have trouble balancing, use the use of a chair while staying in posture. As you draw your leg back, take the chair with your free hand. Once you have grown accustomed to the form, remove the chair and perform the pose as described.
To take this pose into its most advanced form, lift your lifted leg so there is no bend in your knee. Ideally, your lifted leg should be parallel with your grounded one. Advanced students may grab lower on the leg, away from the ankle.
Contradictions and Cautions
If you suffer from a shoulder, back or knee injury, do not perform the standing bow pulling pose unattended.
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