Article Surfing Archive

The Cobra

This should be done in simple steps. You should lie down with the forehead on the floor legs and stretched back tightly together. Just beneath your shoulders put your hands and palm down. Pressing your neck backwards breathe in and raise your head, thereafter bend like an impressive arc from the lower spine to the back of your neck by moving your trunk upwards with the aid of your hand. There is no requirement to go any further. At any rate you can at present, totally straighten your arms, bend the legs at the knees and drop back your head to touch your feet provided you are flexible enough. Drop your head to its limit , holding on to the posture with deep breathing though your head does not go anywhere near your feet. Return to the posture with your face down as you come out of this very unhurriedly. With your head on one side relax and repeat thereafter.

The Bow

The simple bow is its more simplified version. Children can instantly do this which is quite astonishing. This should be taken in simple steps all over again. Lie on your mat with your face down. Get hold of a nice thick padded mat if you are very thin. By inhaling bend your knees upwards. Keeping your fingers and thumbs on the outside together, extend backwards with your arms and get hold of your ankles. By inhaling simultaneously raise your head and chest, lifting your knees and thighs of the floor and pulling at your ankles. Try to kick your legs higher and lift your head up by breathing normally. Leveling the weight of your body on the abdomen you are now bent like a bow. If however you can extend further , then slide your hands down your legs , lift them higher , and keeping the knees together pull back ,as much as you can or else you can stop right here. For a few normal deep breaths hold yourself then with the head to one side relax back to face down position.

The Shooting Bow

Here one leg is drawn up like a shooting bow and in Sanskrit this is called Akarna Dhanurasana. With both legs stretched out in front and back sit straight. Catch the right foot with the right hand and the left foot with the right one by reaching forward and clasping your feet. Twist you body to the right by breathing in by pulling the foot across the body, near your chest with the elbow pointed upwards. Holding the right foot the left hand stays firm and tight. Relax after holding posture with normal breathing and slow releasing. On the other side repeat thereafter. Holding the bent left leg with the right hand is enough in the beginning. Stretch down and hold the left foot with the right hand when this is easy. The pulling of the left leg should be continued and each exhalation lifts it higher.