The Kriya Yogi logo — Om symbolThe Kriya Yogi

Dhanurasana

Bow Pose

dhanu = bow

Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 20 September 2026

Lying prone, the ankles held and the body drawn back like a strung bow.

Family
Backbends
Level
intermediate
Lineage
classical — HYP ch.1; GS ch.2
Works on
spine · chest · quadriceps

The yogic view

The Gheranda Samhita instructs: stretch the legs back, hold the toes with the hands and draw the body into the shape of a bow. The image is exact — the arms are the string, the torso and legs the bending wood. In the hatha texts backbends belong with the practices that open the front of the body and free the breath; the chest lifts, the abdomen lengthens and the diaphragm has room. The tradition credits such postures with dispelling sluggishness and awakening energy along the spine, and places them before seated breath work rather than after it, so the ribcage is already mobile when pranayama begins.

How to practise

  1. Lie face down, forehead on the floor, arms alongside the body.
  2. Bend the knees and take hold of the ankles or the tops of the feet.
  3. Keep the knees roughly hip-width apart.
  4. Inhale, press the feet back into the hands and lift the thighs and chest together.
  5. Lengthen the front of the body rather than squeezing the lower back.
  6. Keep the neck long and the gaze forward, breathing steadily for five breaths.
  7. Release slowly, turn the head to one side and rest before repeating up to three times.

For seated or floor-based work, use a clean, stable surface. Our natural cork yoga mat offers a grounded 5 mm surface for regular practice.

What research shows

The posture combines hip extension, thoracic extension and shoulder extension. Most spines extend easily in the lumbar region and poorly in the thoracic, so the common fault is hinging at the lower back — the source of most complaints after backbends. Pressing the thighs back and up, rather than pulling the shoulders back, distributes extension more evenly. Chest-opening backbends measurably increase upper-ribcage expansion and sympathetic activation; they are energising rather than calming, which matches the traditional placement. Because the abdomen is compressed against the floor, the posture is not appropriate soon after eating or with reflux symptoms.

Questions about Dhanurasana

+ How long should you hold Dhanurasana?
Backbends are better repeated than sustained. Hold Dhanurasana for three to six breaths and repeat two or three times, resting between rounds, instead of holding one long deep version. Let the breath decide: if it becomes short, held or noisy, you have stayed too long or gone too deep.
+ Is Dhanurasana suitable for beginners?
Not as a first posture. Dhanurasana is an intermediate backbends shape: it assumes you can already hold the foundational postures for around eight calm breaths and move in and out of them with control. Most people are ready after a few months of regular practice, and the preparatory postures listed on this page are the honest route in.
+ What are the modifications for Dhanurasana?
Work with the shape rather than around it: reduce the range, shorten the lever by bending the nearest joint, and raise the floor toward you. Three adjustments apply to almost any posture: raise the hips on a folded blanket or cushion in seated work, bend the knees in anything that loads the back of the legs, and use a wall, chair or block to take weight and remove the fear of falling. A supported version practised often produces more change than a deep version practised rarely.
+ Who should avoid or modify Dhanurasana?
For Dhanurasana specifically: back injury; pregnancy (modify or avoid); hernia. More generally, modify or skip it if you have an acute injury or recent surgery in the area it loads, if you are pregnant and have not been given individual guidance, or if the shape produces sharp, pinching, radiating or electric sensation. Numbness, tingling or pain travelling down a limb is a nerve signal to stop and be assessed, not to breathe through. This page is educational and is not medical advice.
+ What should you practise before and after Dhanurasana?
Prepare with Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), Shalabhasana (Locust Pose). Release afterwards with Balasana (Child's Pose). Both lists are links on this page, and either can be shortened when time is limited — but do not skip preparation for a posture that loads a joint at end range.
+ What does Dhanurasana mean in Sanskrit?
Dhanurasana translates as bow pose — dhanu = bow The posture is named in the classical literature — HYP ch.1; GS ch.2 — rather than being a modern addition.

Prepare with

Release with

Cautions

  • back injury
  • pregnancy (modify or avoid)
  • hernia

More backbends

Keep reading

Educational content, not medical advice. Check with a doctor before starting new practices if you have a health condition or are pregnant.