Dandayamana Dhanurasana is one of my favourites because it is sooo beautiful and there are many steps involved. I find the more steps there are, the more willing I am to try it, at least some of the way. According to Bikram, Standing Bow Pulling Pose has many benefits including:
- stimulating cardiovascular system
- increasing circulation to the heart and lungs
- opening the diaphragm and shoulder joints
- improving elasticity in the spine, strength and balance
- reducing abdominal fat build up
- regulating ovaries and prostrate glands
- building focus
The last benefit is key. This posture requires great determination and focus. Typically, I focus on my knee, locking it out. I find that if I keep my eyes on my knee I don't fall out as often. That being said, I fall out almost every single time, certainly once during first set. I think this is in part because I'm building strength in my standing leg as well as just losing focus and not kicking hard enough. In fact, the key to doing this posture right and holding it "forever" as my teachers say, is kicking high and hard. The most I kick, however, the more often I fall over. It's kind of funny to watch actually; I'm usually the one falling over in class.
The following is a series of pictures showing all of the steps in this posture. She looks pretty good, but remember to close your mouth!
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