Arogya Yoga Chapter 42 – Urdhva Dhanurasana – A Shapely Rainbow

The five previous asanas prepare us for the two backbends introduced in this chapter. Those five are:

  1. Salabhasana (Locust)

  2. Bhujangasana (Cobra)

  3. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog)

  4. Dhanurasana (Bow)

  5. Ustrasana (Camel)

The two backbends in this chapter are:

  1. Urdhva Dhanurasana (Literally, Upward Bow although we tend to call it Wheel)

  2. Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (Two-Footed Inverted Staff Pose).  In this chapter, BKS Iyengar introduces the supported version as it is the most beneficial for beginners.

Urdhva Dhanurasana

Urdhva means upward and Dhanu means a bow.  In this asana, the back is bent like a bow that is supported on arms and legs.  If the asana were a bow, the floor between the points where the hands and feet touch the floor would be the bowstring.  When the hands and feet are brought closer together and eventually touch each other, the asana is called Triangmukhottanasana, which is the opposite of Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

There are three ways of coming into Urdhva Dhanurasana:

  1. Pushing up from the floor

  2. Arching back from standing

  3. Arching the back and dropping the legs behind from Handstand

Each version is more difficult and has a deeper impact on the mind than the previous one.  The first one prepares the body and mind for an intensive back arch.  The second one helps make the mind resolute and focused.  The third one stimulates the mind and builds courage. 

We will be working on the first version, pushing up from the ground.  It is the easiest and safest approach to begin with.  This method also prepares the ground work for the other two methods, teaches the intricacies of the asana and helps avoid the mistakes an untrained body might make. 

In Arogya Yoga Urdhva Dhanurasana is taught lifting up from the floor in three stages. 

Pushing up from the floor. See how my hands are turned out to keep my elbows in.

In this stage, I come to the top of my head, and roll towards my forehead. See how I turned my fingers back.

In this final stage, I push up off of my head and straighten my arms.

  1. Lying on your back with the knees and elbows bent.  Palms on the floor, fingers turned towards the shoulders.  Feet very close to the buttocks.  Knees and elbows point to the ceiling. 

  2. The second stage is lifting onto the top of the head, keeping the arms bent and rolling the nose towards the floor.  This intermediate stage is extremely important because it allows you to gain control and stability as you build flexibility and strength.  The position of coming towards the forehead makes the cervical spine more flexible and protects its natural concavity rather than letting it stiffen.  The neck and armoits which are often tight are freed by the rolling action of the head.  This position helps to tone the buttocks and improves breathing.  Once this stage is mastered, you are ready for the next stage.

  3. The third and final stage is pushing all of the way up and straightening the arms.    

Some finer points:

The knees and elbows should not splay outward in Urdhva Dhanurasana.  It is okay to turn the hands out to keep the elbows in, turning the fingers backward once you are up in the pose. 

Backbends are done from leg strength.  Do not let the hips slacken.  Mentally locate the place where the tops of the hamstrings meet the bottom of the buttocks and lift vertically from there. 

In this Urdhva Dhanurasana I’m using the belt to help me focus on that spot at the top of the thigh and the bottom of the buttocks, I’m telling myself to lift from there.

To keep the spine long, have a mental tug of war between the chest and the hips.  Move each away from the other to lengthen the low back and keeps the vertebrae from getting constricted. 

When lowering back down to the floor, land in the same spot you started in by pushing with the legs and placing the head between the hands.  Don’t collapse onto the heels. 

If you cannot push up into Urdhva Dhanurasana from the floor, you can use a chair, stool or a combination of blocks and bolsters to help.  Coming into Urdhva Dhanurasana from a chair helps the student feel what their body is doing without too much effort. 

Here’s me going over a stool

Here’s one of my students lifting up from a chair.

Here’s me going over a chair another way.

Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana

Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (Two Leg Inverted Staff Pose) is an advanced backbend.  It is introduced in this chapter as it is a further expression of Urdhva Dhanurasana.  Here it is taught from a chair to get the spinal, hip and shoulder opening.  When done without the chair, there are two ways to come into it: 

Here’s Dwi Pada going over a chair.

Here’s Dwi Pada coming into it from Urdhva Dhanurasana.

  1. Coming into Urdhva Dhanurasana and then lowering the head to the floor and placing the forearms on the floor, hands behind the head as in Sirsasana I.

  2. Dropping back into it from Sirsasana I.

These asanas cannot be mastered in one attempt. It takes time to coordinate the various movements that lead to the final posture.

If you’d like to read the whole chapter, you can find it here.  There is a lot of information that I did not get into this blog post. 

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