Last updated on May 28th, 2024 at 12:01 pm
Yoga is an ancient practice, with multiple physical, mental, and spiritual benefits, it is associated with various physical posture poses(Asanas), Breathing exercises (Pranayama), mudras, and meditation techniques(Dhyana).
These techniques help establish a connection between body, mind, and soul. Yoga poses can help with flexibility, strength, balance, posture, and chronic pain. Poses have three elements including breath, movement, and meditation. It is one of the basic poses of hath yoga, a complete yoga pose strengthens the back and abdominal muscles.
In this article, we will explore the step-by-step instructions, fundamentals, benefits, risks, which chakra activates by bow pose yoga, and who should avoid this yoga and frequently asked questions.
What Is The Bow Pose Yoga?
Bow Pose(Dhanurasana) is a deep stretching pose known as “Dhanurasana” in yoga. Dhanurasana is a Sanskrit language word made of the union of two words, “Dhanu” for Bow and “Asana” for Poses, which means a bow-shaped pose. Bow pose is one of the poses in “Hatha Yoga” similar to backbend.
This yoga pose is performed lying on the floor, yogi lying on their stomach and performs a backbend by lifting both their upper and lower body and making a shape like a bow. One should perform this pose in the presence of a qualified yoga instructor and also avoid doing this pose during pregnancy, high or low blood pressure, back pain, and headache.
Which Charka Activates By Bow Pose?
The Bow Pose Yoga activates two main chakras Manipura Chakra and Anahata Chakra. When you do the pose, your belly and chest stretch, waking up the Manipura Chakra near your belly button, which boosts your confidence. Also, the pose stretches your neck, which helps to wake up the Anahata Chakra in your chest. This chakra is all about love, kindness, and talking to others. So, doing the Bow Pose can help balance and strengthen the two important energy spots in the body.
How To Do Bow Pose Yoga Correctly
- Lay down on your stomach on the ground.
- Relax with 2-3 deep breaths.
- Inhale slowly, keep your legs bent backward, and hold your ankles with your hand. As shown in the image above.
- Now you will see that your body has taken the shape of a bow.
- In this posture, you can feel that your all body weight will come from the abdominal area, and the stomach and pelvic muscles touch the ground.
- Hold with this posture for 10-20 sec as per your stamina, and take a deep breath, also you can increase the timing after the practice.
- Exhale slowly, come back to starting normal position and rest for 1-2 minutes.
- Again repeat the same pose. You can repeat this pose 3-4 times.
Bow Pose Yoga Benefits
- Improving body flexibility stretches the entire body and increases the flexibility of the neck, back, abdominal muscles, arms, and leg muscles.
- Fight against constipation, weak digestion, and gastric issues, which can help massage the digestive organs, boost the metabolism, and improve the digestive system.
- Strengthen the spine and hamstrings, lowering the risk of back pain and future injury, and also enhance the blood circulation to the muscles.
- Stretch the abdominal muscles and improving the reproductive organs of both men and women, helps stimulate the reproductive organs.
- Helps in obesity and weight loss, burning the stomach fats and extra calories of the body.
Multiple benefits for women’s health include stimulating the reproductive system, maintaining irregular periods, pcod, and infertility. - Reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and encourage mindfulness and mental health well-being.
- Overall a good stretching pose helps in stretching ligaments of the neck, hips, shoulder, lower legs, and ankles and lowers the risk of injury.
- Helps in the relief of respiratory system issues asthma and kidney-related disorders.
- Improve the body posture.
- Maintaining the health of the pancreas and preventing diabetes.
- Risks and Tips To Keep In Mind Before Doing Bow Pose
- Persons who go through abdominal surgery avoid doing this pose.
- One who experiences headaches, migraine, or insomnia should avoid doing this pose.
- During pregnancy and menstruation cycles should avoid this pose.
- Persons dealing with high or low blood pressure, or hernia should consult a doctor before practicing this pose.
- Any kind of injury at the knees, hips, spine, ankles, back, and rib cage should avoid this pose.
Variations Of Bow Pose Yoga
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What Are The Benefits Of The Bow Pose?
Ans. Bow pose helps strengthen the muscles of the back and abdomen, improve flexibility, relax the muscles, reduce stress, relieve constipation, diabetes, kidney related issues, and activate your heart chakra.
Q2. Does Bow Pose Reduce The Belly Fat?
Ans. Yes, the bow pose can help reduce belly fat, by burning the fat around the belly and also burns calories to help stretch the chest, stomach, arms, and legs strengthening the core tightening the abs, and allowing the body to full stretch.
Q3. What Is The Bow Pose In Yoga Called?
Ans. In yoga, Bow Pose is known as DHANURASANA a Sanskrit word, made of a union of two words “Dhanu” for Bow and “Asana” for Pose. This means a body shape is similar to a bow.
Q4. Mental Health Benefits Of Bow Pose?
Ans. Bow pose helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and pushes the mind toward calm and positive thoughts, by stretching releases happy hormones that boost your mood and thoughts.
Conclusion
Bow pose (Dhanurasna) is one of the common poses of types of hath yoga, it is a complete yoga asana of all over human body muscles. This pose can help strengthen the back, skin, and hips and enhance the body posture, as well as maintain the health of the digestive system and physical and mental well-being. Beneficial for diabetes, reproductive organs, flexibility, tone of the body muscles, and enhanced blood circulation.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please comment, we will be pleased to answer all your queries. Thank You!
About The Author
Honey is a certified yoga teacher from Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar. Through the learning process, she realized, that yoga can be helpful in the wellness of one’s life.
