Bow Posture
and feet together. Inhale deeply and bend your legs keeping them as close together as possible. Stretch your arms upwards and backwards and grasp your ankles. Pull your legs as high off the floor as you possibly can by fully arching your spine. Hold this position for as long as you comfortably can while holding your breath. When the impulse to exhale appears do so and slowly return to the starting position. I have demonstrated the correct position in figure 18, and you could see why this posture is named the BOW. At first you would be able to hold this posture for only a few seconds but very steadily extend this period until you could hold it for a full minute. You may perform it up to six periods a day, but no straining though. I foresee that a lot of you will have some little difficulty with this asana. Either you will not be able to keep your knees together or worse, you may not be able to raise your legs off the floor at all. In this case try this easier method. Pull one leg up at a time and you will soon find that your muscles would be stretched and limbered up and you would be able to bend your body into a ideal and beautiful Bow. This is a excellent exercise for the respite of backache but as it's rather a strenuous posture do please practice it carefully. The Bow Posture may be preceded by the Stomach Balance which is the very simplest of the backward bending exercises for the respite of backache. Lie face downwards with your arms extended in front of you, palms downward. While inhaling deeply slowly raise your arms and legs off the floor so that you're balancing on your abdomen. Bring your head up as high as you can. The higher you could raise your head and legs the more effective is the Stomach Balance. Hold the position for as long as you could without exhaling and then, as the impulse to exhale appears slowly return to the starting position. Though a simple exercise it requirements care as all the backward bends tend to be somewhat strenuous. The Stomach Balance tones up the entire nervous system and stretches the muscles of the back and abdomen. The Bow Posture being one of the the bulk beautiful of the Yoga asanas it will appeal especially to women and here is a variation which is also striking in its aesthetic appeal. It appearance like the graceful swimming of some exotic fish, and on a more practical level let me assure you that it's considerably easier than the full BOW POSTURE which I have just described. Variation of the Bow Posture In this variation half the body is kept straight and half bends backwards. Lie face downwards, bend the right knee and catch the toes of the foot with your right hand. Slowly pull the foot towards your head bending only the muscles on the right side of the back. The left arm should be held outstretched and the left foot likewise. Seen from the side this posture has all the grace of the lovely BOW and something else all its own. And now here is another breathing exercise which will aid to counteract bad posture, drooping and round shoulders, and curvature of the spine. It also improves flabby upper arms, and excessive flesh on the shoulders will slowly be squeezed away. It is called the ARMSWING BREATHING EXERCISE. Sit back on your heels with your spine straight. Lace your fingers together and then turn them palms upwards. Inhale deeply and at the same time bend forward until your chin is touching the floor as in figure 12, page 49. Swing your arms upwards as high as you possibly can trying again and again to swing them just a little higher. Hold this position for as long as you could without exhaling. When the impulse to exhale appears do so as you straighten up again. Relax and repeat from four to six times, after which lie down for a few moments and take a few deep recovery breaths. If your knees are very stiff or if for some other reason you're unable to sit on your heels you may perform the Armswing Breathing Exercise standing up in which case you lean forward from your waist as far as you could and bring your arms with the fingers interlaced, as far forward as you can. The movement from the waist will aid to eradicate fatty tissue in this area and aid the spine towards a new suppleness. The warning not to jerk any movements is reiterated here as you should not try to swing your arms over violently as you may well injure a rigid muscle which would discourage you from ever attempting this valuable exercise again. Nothing is more painful than a muscle spasm. Practice this exercise daily and you will soon notice a marked improvement in your posture and a new feeling of freedom from backache and a new feeling of lightness as your straightening spine allows your lungs to take in more oxygen. All parts of the body are interdependent. Cure your backache and your chest complaints are eased, your temper improved, and your appearance enhanced. Do not under-estimate the gravity of bad posture. It may not be an sickness but it has a well-deserved place in this book on Yoga and health because it can, ultimately, damage the health of the entire organism by restricting breathing, and cause an unwell complexion due to too little oxygen reaching the blood cells. Attack your bad posture and its resulting backache like the enemies they are. Many people suffer from bad posture and an ungraceful carriage because of frail legs, ankles, or feet. The remainder of this chapter is devoted to the consideration of these particular conditions and I will explain how they can be greatly helped by Yoga’s methods. It has often been said that a man’s temper is only as wonderful as his feet. If the feet ache and burn how is it possible to be smiling and at ease? If your legs hurt or are swollen with varicose veins how easy it's to snap at everyone and feel that the world is a terrible place. In this book on health I must always be on guard against anything which can disrupt the dawning calmness of the mind which my readers must experience if they have been faithfully putting into practice all I have authored about so far. In practicing relaxation you will have discovered a new peace with yourself. In practicing the breathing exercises you will feel a new glow of vitality. And if you have practiced the asanas your health will have begun to improve beyond your wildest hopes, and with it you will have discovered a new lease of life within yourself, a zest for living, a new inner power. So we cannot let sluggish, swollen and aching feet hold up the new feeling of health and freedom opening out before you. We cannot let them undo all your wonderful work. So beginning by putting them up higher than your head whenever possible. It isn’t done in the so-called best of circles to put your feet on the mantelpiece. Never mind about that. Yoga dosen’t know any class barriers. Go on, put them up, it will do them good. And before going out in the evening nothing could be more restful than lying on the floor in your bedroom and putting your feet up on the bed. Remain like that for a few moments with your eyes closed and you're a new man—or woman. The alteration is remarkable. You are refreshed and alive and your legs and feet no longer feel like lead. The following breathing exercise added to your everyday asanas will aid to strengthen frail ankles, improve flabby calves, and soothe painful or fallen arches. |
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