downward bow

Description

Belly down floor bow pose (Dhanurasana) involves lying on the belly and catching the ankles with the hands, creating a bow-like arch with the body. This pose strongly engages the back muscles and glutes to lift the thighs and chest off the mat, while simultaneously stretching the front body. The hip flexors and quadriceps are stretched as the legs are drawn upward and back, and the chest and shoulders open as the practitioner kicks the feet into the hands. A prone backbend where the practitioner grasps the ankles and lifts the chest and legs off the floor, creating a bow-like shape with the body. Typically used in backbend sequences as a peak pose or to deepen spinal extension after preparatory poses. Classified within the backbend family, it often follows poses like locust and precedes counterposes such as child's pose. The Sanskrit name means "bow pose," reflecting the shape formed by the body.

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