DHANUR ASANA

Dhanur Asana or Bow Pose is one of the finest Asana to activate lymph glands, mobilize the fat around waist line, hips and thighs, bring flexibility to the spine and massage all the internal abdominal organs.

 

TECHNIQUE

Dhanur Asana

Fold both the legs one by one and catch hold of the respective ankles with the hands, keeping the forehead on floor.

Slowly lift and contract the shoulders back.

Lift your head up, knee and thighs off the floor, heels away from the hips and toes pointing up.

Open up the body to the maximum you can.

Look up all the time.

To release the pose, bring the knees and thighs together, heels close to the hips, forehead down to the floor.

Bring the ankles together one by one.

Finally, release the ankles one by one and stretch the legs straight down.

The same pose can be transformed into Rocking Bow by pushing the body up and down on the abdomen and into to Rolling Bow by rolling from side to side without keeping the knees and thighs on the floor looking up, turning your head towards the leg up in air.

Beginners or people with comparatively less flexible bodies can perform the variation called Ardha Dhanur Asana.

Fold and hold one leg at a time and lift the whole body off the floor.

Stretch both the arms forward.

Fold only one leg, catching hold of the ankle with the same or the opposite hand.

Slowly lift the whole body off the floor.

Balance on navel and open up the folded leg.

Keep heels away from the hips.

To relax release the grip of the ankles.

Keep the knees and thighs on the floor.

Try to lift your knees and thighs higher than your chest cavity.

Hold the leg from the ankle making a firm grip to avoid hurting yourself.

Do not move your neck on either side while in pose.

Relax for a while after performing this Asanaa.

Do not overstretch your thighs, shoulders or abdomen and overstrain your spine.

Duration is 10 seconds to 1 minute.

For more benefits roll from side to side without keeping the knee and thigh on floor.

Rock up and down massaging the abdomen length wise.

Avoid during indigestion, high Blood Pressure, weak or stiff shoulder joints and spine, stone in kidneys and gall bladder or bypass surgery.

BENEFITS

It gives full anterior stretch to the body from chin to knee.

It opens up the rib cage to the maximum, increase the lung capacity.

It allows lymphatic drainage by activating lymph glands and nodes.

It increases the immunity and resistance of the body to withstand abnormal conditions.

It brings good flexibility to the ligament and spinal cord by making it supple, elastic and flexible.

It reduces cervical tension, thoracic, lumbar and sacral tensions.
It tones the respiratory, digestive, excretory, endocrine, exocrine and reproductive system.

It remove the unwanted fat from the body.

It channelize the heart vessels and lungs.

It channels the nerve current to entire spinal cord and brain boosting up the thinking process, clarity of thoughts, enhancing memory, decreasing tension and distressing.

It directs the flow of prana from all over the body to Manipur Chakra or solar plexus.

It activates all the Six Chakras of the body as you roll and rock in this pose.

It also cures weak digestion, flabby abdomen, hips and thigh, weak immunity and poor resistance of body, hypo activity of abdominal organs, diabetes, prolapsed abdomen, menstrual disorders.