The Bow Pose (dhanurasana in Sanskrit) is a version of the simple bow. It’s surprising how many children can do it immediately!

Do this in easy stages:

1. Lie face down and prone on your mat. (If you are skinny or slender, use a thick, padded mat for this pose.)

2. Breathe in and bend your knees up.

3. Breathe out and stretch back with your arms. Grab and hold your ankles, keeping all your fingers and thumbs together on the outside of the joint.

4. Breathe in and at the same time, raise your head and chest, pulling at your ankles and lifting your knees and thighs off the ground.

5. Breathe normally and evenly, trying to kick up your legs higher and lifting your head up. You’re now bent like a bow, balancing the weight of your body on your abdomen.

You can stop right here but if you can still stretch further, then slide your hands down your legs, lift them higher, keep the knees together and pull back as much as you can.

6. Hold for a few normal deep breaths, then move slowly back to the facedown position. Relax, turning your head to one side and resting it on the ground. Repeat.

(Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions before following any of the asanas/poses from this article and this site. To avoid any problems while doing the asanas, it is advised that you consult both a doctor and a yoga instructor. The responsibility for performing the asanas correctly and protecting their health lies solely with the reader, and not with this site or this site’s writer!)

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Francesca De Souza
Yoga-Tips.Teauta.com