Yoga Health Secrets

 Yoga for backache, back pain, aching legs, and bad posture

The next Yoga asana in this chapter is the BOW POSTURE (Dhanurasana) which is an intensification of another asana named the Cobra which you will meet in chapter twelve. Dhanurasana is so named because it strongly resembles an archer’s bow and is, you will agree, a very beautiful posture and incidentally is a powerful weapon in our war against backache for the vertebrae are moved in such a way that the nerve ganglions receive a richer supply of blood.

It also exerts a healthy pressure on the kidneys, thereby correcting any disorders in their function. Bow Posture

1. Lie face downwards on the floor, hands along your sides and feet together.

2. Inhale deeply and bend your legs keeping them as close together as possible. Stretch your arms upwards and backwards and grasp your ankles.

3. Pull your legs as high off the floor as you possibly can by fully arching your spine. Hold this position for as long as you comfortably can while holding your breath.

4. When the impulse to exhale appears do so and slowly return to the starting position. I have demonstrated the correct position in figure 18, and you can see why this posture is named the BOW.

At first you will be able to hold this posture for only a few seconds but very gradually extend this period until you can hold it for a full minute. You may perform it up to six times a day, but no straining though.

I foresee that many of you will have some little difficulty with this asana. Either you will not be able to keep your knees together or worse, you may not be able to raise your legs off the floor at all. In this case try this easier method. Pull one leg up at a time and you will soon find that your muscles will be stretched and limbered up and you will be able to bend your body into a perfect and beautiful Bow.

This is a wonderful exercise for the relief of backache but as it is rather a strenuous posture do please practise it carefully.

The Bow Posture may be preceded by the Stomach Balance which is the very simplest of the backward bending exercises for the relief of backache.

1. Lie face downwards with your arms extended in front of you, palms downward.

2. While inhaling deeply slowly raise your arms and legs off the floor so that you are balancing on your abdomen. Bring your head up as high as you can.

The higher you can raise your head and legs the more effective is the Stomach Balance. Hold the position for as long as you can without exhaling and then, as the impulse to exhale appears slowly return to the starting position. Though a simple exercise it needs care as all the backward bends tend to be somewhat strenuous. The Stomach Balance tones up the entire nervous system and stretches the muscles of the back and abdomen.

The Bow Posture being one of the most beautiful of the Yoga asanas it will appeal especially to women and here is a variation which is also striking in its aesthetic appeal. It looks like the graceful swimming of some exotic fish, and on a more practical level let me assure you that it is considerably easier than the full BOW POSTURE which I have just described.

Variation of the Bow Posture

In this variation half the body is kept straight and half bends backwards. Lie face downwards, bend the right knee and catch the toes of the foot with your right hand. Slowly pull the foot towards your head bending only the muscles on the right side of the back. The left arm should be held outstretched and the left foot likewise. Seen from the side this posture has all the grace of the lovely BOW and something else all its own.