Urdhva Dhanurasana

Urdvah Dhanurasana or Upward-Facing Bow Pose (Sanskrit: ऊर्ध्वधनुरासन; IAST: Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana) is a yoga asana, and is the upward facing form of Dhanurasana (bow pose).

Etymology

Description

In the general form of the pose, the practitioner has hands and feet on the floor, and the abdomen arches up toward the sky. Wheel Pose may be entered from a supine position or through a less rigorous supine backbend, such as Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). Some advanced practitioners can move into Wheel Pose by "dropping back" from Tadasana (Mountain Pose), or by standing with the back to a wall, reaching arms overhead and walking hands down the wall toward the floor. Advanced practitioners may also follow wheel with any of its variations (listed below), by other backbend—such as Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana—or by pushing back up to stand in Tadasana.

Variations

• Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana (One Legged Upward Facing Bow)
• Ardha Dhanurasana (Side Bow)

See also

• List of Hatha yoga postures

References

(in English) (flv) Urdhva dhanurasana Posture Lab - Natasha Rizopoulos. YogaWorks. 24 October 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51btHQXEQ54. Retrieved 24 November 2011. 

Further reading

• Iyengar, B. K. S. (1 October 2005). Illustrated Light On Yoga. HarperCollins. ISBN 9788172236069. http://books.google.com/books?id=pbx5AAAACAAJ. Retrieved 9 April 2011. 
• Saraswati, Swami Satyananda (1 August 2003). Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha. Nesma Books India. ISBN 9788186336144. http://books.google.com/books?id=YpR1QgAACAAJ. Retrieved 9 April 2011. 
• Saraswati, Swami Satyananda (January 2004). A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya. Nesma Books India. ISBN 9788185787084. http://books.google.com/books?id=eWOrAAAACAAJ. Retrieved 9 April 2011. 

External links

• Dr Rao G., Nanduri; Prof. M. Venkata Reddy. "Asanas Based On Simple Standing Positions". PersonalMD. http://www.personalmd.com/news/yoga6_81200.shtml. Retrieved 2006-12-16. .