Saturday 31 December 2011

The Bow (Dhanurasana)

  • Lie on the stomach,legs together, arms beside the body.
  • Bend the knees and hold the ankles.
  • Head chest and thighs are raised as far as possible so that the body  resembles a bow, and the lower legs and arms the bow strings.
  • Expand the chest and stretch the body by pulling on the ankles while pushing the feet away from the body.
  • The body now rest on the abdomen with the arms straight.
  • Hold the breath as long as possible or breathe slowly and deeply.At some point try rocking back and forth, with the breath

Benefits
This exercise is excellent for massaging all the abdominal muscles and organs, leading to improved functioning of the digestive system, eliminative and reproductive organs.

It is beneficial to those suffering from gastrointestinal diseases , and is effective in cases of chronic constipation and sluggishness of the liver,

The spinal chord is kept supple, chest ailments, including asthma are relieved

It also helps to remove fat from the abdomen.