Bow poses in yoga are used to strengthen both your body’s core and extremities. The Bow pose- Dhanurasana, the Side Bow pose – Parsva Dhanurasana, and the Half Bow pose – Ardha Dhanurasana, all offer many benefits to your entire body.

The Side Bow pose is an excellent pose to stretch the front of your body. Everything from your ankles and thighs to your abs and throat will feel better after the Bow pose is completed. With continued practice this pose will give you added strength in these areas.

• To open the Bow pose you will lie on your belly with your hand, palms up, placed at your sides. As you exhale you will bend your knees and bring you heels into your bottom. With your hands you will reach back and grasp your ankles.
• As you inhale you will raise your heels up from your bottom and your thighs from the floor. As this is happening you will find your upper body, including your head, will automatically rise up also. Press your shoulder blades together to give your back a good form. This will open your heart chakra and improve circulation.
• This pose can be held for up to thirty seconds. To release the pose you will return to your opening position.

The Side Bow pose is a modification of the Bow pose. As you exhale you will lower your right shoulder to the yoga mat. Pull on your left foot, (remember your are holding onto your ankles), and slowly roll onto your right side.

NOTE: If you thought this was a good video, wait until you see what we have in store for you in our online yoga class, where we discuss this, and many other Ashtanga Yoga positions in great detail.

The Half Bow is another modification of the bow pose and is completed by doing the same motions as the Side bow but on the opposite side of your body.

All of the Bow poses, as mentioned before, stretch the front of your body. This will give strength to these areas. These poses will also help build up your back muscles. If you have poor posture or back problems you will find these poses to be very beneficial.

The Bow poses also stimulate your organs to perform better. They will stretch your spine and increase blood flow throughout your body. This increase of blood flow will help with all mental and body functions. It will also give your immune system a big boost.

If you are having trouble grabbing your ankles you can use a prop. A yoga strap will help with this move until you are strong enough to grab your ankles unaided.