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How to Backbend: A Yoga Basics Tutorial on Floor Bow or Dhanurasana

Curious about backbends?  

Think you can’t do them?  

I’m here to tell you, YES, YES YOU CAN!  And guess what, backbends are GREAT for you too! 

Backbends actually strengthen the muscles along your back so practicing them can actually help you experience LESS low back pain if you practice them!  Here’s the catch, you have to do them regularly…  

In today’s tutorial, Join Jennifer Dixon with Thrive Yoga and Wellness and Thrive Online or a quick tutorial on Floor Bow, or Dhanurasana Pose.  

In this Yoga Basics tutorial, you will learn all about this beginner to intermediate level backbend pose called Floor Bow, or Dhanurasana as in Sanskrit.  This is a basic yoga pose found in many different types of yoga classes and has many different modifications based on where you are in your yoga practice. Here, Jennifer talks about “best practices” you can do to help keep your back safe and pain-free.

What to Remember When Practicing Floor Bow or Dhanurasana:

  • Lay on the ground, preferably harder surface 
  • Be sure to engage your abdominal muscles to help relax your back, and to keep your tail bone pointing down / away from your head as much as possible, even while attempting to do this posture.
  • Start out with just one leg, so bend that knee, and reach back to grab hold of the foot, ankle or calf.  The opposit arm can be in front supporting you.
  • Next, trying to kick into the hand that is grasping the foot and hold for several counts.  Do this on the other side.
  • If you’re feeling up for it, trying to do both feet at one time.
  • Try to keep your knees closer together, they will try to splay apart.
  • To intensify this pose, bring your knees closer together, kick into your hands more, and try to straighten your legs.
  • Hold this for several breaths.  

Remember, you belly muscles being engaged help protect your back, so pull that belly button in!

If you would like to learn more about Jennifer or if you would like to practice with Jennifer in person and you’re in the Chattanooga, TN area, check out www.Thrive Yoga and Wellness.com.  We offer almost 40 classes each week in a variety of modalities from beginners to advanced, to chair and seniors all the way to super physical HIT yoga. It’s a great studio in the suburbs with ample parking and the community vibe. 

Or if you’re not in the area and still want to practice with me, you can totally do it for free for one month, virtually inside the Thrive Online community.  

In the video, I was practicing on my Mantra Lux Pro mat.  A Chattanooga Based Yoga and Lifestyle company. Here’s a link for you to get 10% off!This post was written by Jennifer Dixon MBA ERYT 500 and Authorized Ashtanga Yoga Teacher.  She is the lead teacher in the Thrive Yoga and Wellness 200 hr Yoga For Every Body Teacher Training program: the Chattanooga area’s ONLY modular 200 hr Yoga Alliance approved Teacher Training program that allows you to train when YOUR schedule allows.  With two semesters each year and plenty of opportunity to practice and train year round, this is the BEST yoga teacher training program for busy folks. Gone are the stresses about missed training weekends, you don’t have to worry about exhaustion and tears from super long intense weekend training every month–with the Thrive Yoga Teacher Training program, you train when your schedule allows and live your best life now.  Yoga Teacher Training should be fun, come practice with us and let us show you how! Another great perk of training at Thrive? You get an unlimited membership to the studio for one full year while you train! NO ONE ELSE offers this amazing deal (worth $1100!) and it’s the PERFECT way to get the training you want with the practice you need. Our next semester starts in August of 2019! See you on the mat soon!

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