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Posture:
Akarna-dhanura-asana
Translation: The
Sanskrit word karna means ear and the
prefix "a" means near to or towards.
Dhanur means bow-shaped, curved or bent. The
"bow" here referred to is a bow as in "bow and
arrow." Literally we could translate this as the
near-the-ear bow posture but because of the
obvious appearance of the posture we'll call it
the shooting bow posture.
Pronunciation: ah-car-nah
da-noor ah-sa-na
Instruction:
1)Sit on the floor
with the legs together and extended straight out
in front. Keep the back straight, shoulders
level and head straight. Place the hands, palms
down, flat on top of the thighs then inhale
deeply.
2)Exhale and reach
down and loop the forefinger of the right hand
around the big toe of the right foot and grasp
the left foot with the left hand.
3)Inhale and pull
the right foot back placing the big toe next to
the right ear. Straighten the back as much s
possible and hold the posture for the duration
of the inhale breath.
4)Exhale and return
to the seated position of step #1 then repeat
the posture on the opposite side.
Comments:
While
performing this posture imagine yourself as an
archer with your gaze focused on a target and
the arrow gracefully and steadily being pulled
back in the bow. Hold the posture as steady as
an archer would hold an arrow aimed at its
target. Return the foot to the floor gently.
This simple technique will help cultivate
focused and unwavering attention.
Durations/Repetitions:
This
posture should be held for a minimum of 30
seconds and can be extended to up to several
minutes. Repeat at least twice with each leg.
Variations:
Reverse the hands and feet so that that the
right hand pulls the left foot to the left ear
and vice versa. The foot gets pulled under the
outstretched arm. |
