Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
A backbend lying on your stomach where you hold your ankles and lift your chest and thighs, so your body curves like a bow.
Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) is a backbend lying face down: you hold your ankles and lift your chest and thighs off the floor. It stretches the front of the thighs, hips, and chest and works the back. Beginners start with Half Bow or a strap for 2 to 3 breaths. Skip it during pregnancy or with back, knee, or abdominal problems.
| Sanskrit name | Dhanurasana |
|---|---|
| Category | Poses |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Position | Lying face down |
| How long to hold | 2–3 breaths |
| Kneeling, floor, wrists | No kneeling · On the floor · Little or no weight on the hands |
| Body areas | Quads, Chest, Hips, Shoulders |
| Primary benefit | Stretches the thighs, hips, and chest; works the back |
| Muscles worked | Front of the thighs (quadriceps, stretched), Hip flexors (iliopsoas, stretched), Chest and front of the shoulders (stretched), Spinal extensors (erector spinae), Glutes and hamstrings |
| Breathing | Breathing is shallower in this pose; take 2–3 steady breaths through the nose, then exhale and lower |
| Safe for seniors | No |
| Contraindications | Pregnancy, Recent abdominal surgery or a hernia, Lower back pain that gets worse with arching, or lumbar spine disease, Knee injury (use a strap so the knees don't bend as deeply), Shoulder injury |
What is Bow Pose?
Bow Pose, or Dhanurasana, is a backbend done lying on your stomach. You bend your knees, reach back to hold your ankles, and kick your feet into your hands so your chest and thighs lift off the floor. Your arms act like the string of a bow and your body like the curved wood.
Physically, the pose stretches the quadriceps, hip flexors, abdominals, chest, and the front of the shoulders. The muscles along the spine and the glutes and hamstrings do the lifting. It's intermediate because it needs both front-body flexibility and back strength, and the lift comes from the legs pressing back, not from pulling with the arms. When people pull with the arms, the lower back and knees tend to take strain.
A practical beginner path has three stages. First, practice Locust (Salabhasana), lifting your chest and legs with your arms alongside your body, to build back strength. Next, try Half Bow: lie on your stomach, prop yourself on one forearm, and hold one ankle with the opposite hand while the other leg stays down. Then try full Bow with a strap looped around both ankles if your hands don't reach. Keeping the knees about hip-width apart, rather than letting them splay wide, is gentler on the lower back.
In practice, hold Bow for a few breaths, lower, and repeat once or twice, then rest in Child's Pose. Because you lie on your belly, it isn't practical during pregnancy. NCCIH advises people who are pregnant to be evaluated by their provider before exercising. Skip it after abdominal surgery, and use Locust instead if arching your back causes pain.
Step-by-step instructions
- Lie on your stomach with your arms alongside your body and your forehead on the mat.
- Bend your knees and bring your heels toward your hips, knees about hip-width apart.
- Reach back and hold the outside of your ankles, or a strap looped around them.
- Inhale and press your feet back into your hands, letting that action lift your thighs and chest.
- Keep your neck long and your gaze forward and down.
- Hold for 2 to 3 breaths.
- Exhale, lower slowly, release your ankles, and rest with your cheek on the mat.
Easier and harder versions
Easier
Half Bow
Lie on your stomach and prop up on your left forearm. Bend your right knee and hold your right ankle with your right hand while your left leg stays on the floor. Hold for 2 to 3 breaths, then switch sides.
Bow with a strap
Loop a strap around the fronts of your ankles and hold one end in each hand. The strap lets you lift without bending your knees as deeply or reaching as far back.
Standard
Bow Pose
Follow the steps above and hold for 2–3 breaths.
Tips & modifications
- Beginner: Start with Locust (Salabhasana) to build back strength, then Half Bow: prop on one forearm and hold one ankle with the opposite hand while the other leg stays down.
- Common mistake: Pulling with the arms instead of pressing the feet back. The kick of the legs into the hands is what lifts you.
- Common mistake: Letting the knees splay wide. Keep them roughly hip-width apart to spread the bend more evenly through the spine.
- Easier or harder: Loop a strap around your ankles if your hands don't reach. A folded blanket under your hips can make lying on the belly more comfortable.
- Safety: Lower down if you feel pinching in your lower back or strain in your knees. Rest in Child's Pose afterward to ease out of the backbend.
Safety
If you have any of the contraindications listed above, or a health condition, talk to your doctor before practicing. Stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, or numbness. Use props and modifications as needed, especially if you are 50+ or new to yoga.