How to Do Dhanurasana Pose | Bow Pose

Welcome to the wonderful world of Dhanurasana, or as we like to call it, Bow Pose! This is one of those heart-opening shapes that just feels so invigorating. It gets its name because your body creates the shape of an archer’s bow, using your arms like the string to create a beautiful, strong curve.

We love this pose because it’s a total front-body opener. If you’ve been spending a lot of time sitting at a desk or driving, Bow Pose is the perfect antidote to help stretch out your chest, shoulders, and hip flexors. It’s all about finding that balance between effort and ease, feeling into the strength of your back while letting your heart shine forward.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to safely move into this backbend, with plenty of options to make it feel just right for your body today.

How To Do Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)

Start on your belly
Begin by lying flat on your belly on your mat. Keep your feet about hip-width apart and let your arms rest naturally beside your body. Take a moment here to arrive and feel the ground supporting you.

Reach for your ankles
Bend your knees and bring your heels in toward your glutes. Reach back with your hands and take hold of your ankles or the tops of your feet. If your ankles feel a bit far away today, you can always use a yoga strap looped around your feet to bridge the gap.

Lift and open up
As you inhale, gently lift your chest and your thighs away from the mat. Think about kicking your feet back into your hands to help create that bow shape. Keep your neck long and your gaze soft, rather than crunching the back of the neck.

Find your balance
Try to keep your weight balanced on your abdomen rather than rocking too far forward or back. Keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears, and let your breath be steady. If you’re practising this as a more active backbend, hold for about 20-30 seconds. If you’re exploring a softer version in Yin Yoga, we usually stay for shorter periods in backbends to honour the spine.

Gently release and rest
When you’re ready to come down, exhale and slowly lower your chest and legs back to the earth. Release your ankles and let your arms rest. We love to stack our hands and rest a forehead or cheek down for a few breaths to feel the after-effects of the pose.

The Benefits of Dhanurasana (and Yoga in General)

Physically, Bow Pose is such a powerhouse for the back body. It strengthens the muscles along your spine and the backs of your legs, while giving the entire front of your body—your chest, shoulders, and hip flexors—a beautiful, expansive stretch. Because we’re resting on the abdomen, it also gives your digestive organs a gentle massage, which can be so helpful for keeping things moving and even easing menstrual discomfort.

Beyond the physical, this pose is a wonderful heart-opener that can help shift your energy. By expanding the chest and improving your breath capacity, it naturally boosts your energy levels and helps clear away that afternoon fatigue. It’s a pose that invites you to tap into your inner strength and resilience, helping you feel more focused and emotionally balanced.

This is what we love about Yoga — it’s not just about becoming more flexible or strong. It’s about opening our hearts to new possibilities and finding the courage to meet ourselves exactly as we are, one breath at a time.

Explore More Yoga Poses

If you enjoyed this pose, you might also love:

• How to Do Bhujangasana Pose | Cobra Pose
• How to Do Ustrasana Pose | Camel Pose
• How to Do Kumbhakasana Pose | Plank Pose

Curious About Yoga Teacher Training?

This pose is one of 108 you’ll explore in our 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training — along with yoga philosophy, breathwork, meditation, anatomy, and the confidence to teach.

You don’t need to be the most flexible person in the room. You don’t need to have been practising for years. You just need to be curious and willing to begin. Whether you want to teach professionally, deepen your personal practice, or simply discover more about yourself — this training meets you where you are.

Learn more about Yoga Teacher Training →

Always merrymaking,
Emma + Carla