Bow (hold)

Dhanurasana

Yogaintermediatetimedno equipment

Prone backbend: knees bent, hands grip the outer ankles with straight arms, and kicking the feet back into the hands lifts both chest and thighs so only the belly is on the floor, the body shaped like a drawn bow.

How to do it

1. Lie face down, bend the knees so the heels come toward the buttocks, knees hip-width apart.
2. Reach back and hold the outsides of the ankles; arms are straight.
3. Press the feet back and up into the hands: chest and head lift, thighs and knees lift off the floor.
4. Only the abdomen touches the floor; knees stay no wider than hips; gaze forward.

Muscles worked

pettorali, deltoidi, glutei, addominali, lombari, quadricipiti