Upward Bow Pose with Straight Legs

How to do Upward Bow Pose with Straight Legs

1. 1Lie flat on your back, bend your knees, place your feet hip-width apart, and set your palms beside your ears with fingers pointing toward your shoulders.
2. 2Press firmly through your hands and feet on an exhale to lift your hips and chest, coming into standard Upward Bow Pose.
3. 3Firm your outer upper arms in and press your chest toward the wall behind your head to fully open your shoulders.
4. 4Begin walking your feet back slightly or pressing your weight forward over your wrists until your legs can straighten fully.
5. 5Ground the soles of your feet firmly into the floor, hugging your inner thighs toward each other to prevent the knees from splaying.
6. 6Keep pressing the floor away through your palms, transferring the arch of the back deeply into the upper back and armpits.
7. 7Hold for several steady breaths, then gently bend the knees, tuck your chin toward your chest, and lower your shoulders and hips to the mat.

Benefits

• Intensely stretches the shoulders, chest, and latissimus dorsi.
• Increases mobility in the thoracic and lumbar spine.
• Strengthens the arms, wrists, gluteals, and quadriceps.
• Expands lung capacity by opening the entire front ribcage.
• Stimulates circulation and builds invigorating physical energy.

Common mistakes and cues

• External leg rotation

  Allowing the feet and knees to turn outward puts compressive strain on the sacroiliac joint; keep inner thighs rolling inward.

• Weight collapsing in wrists

  Failing to press through the chest dumps heavy weight into the wrist creases rather than distributing it into the upper back.

• Crunching the lower back

  Bending solely from the lumbar spine without engaging the thoracic extensors can lead to lower back pinching.

• Lifting the heels

  Letting the inner or outer borders of the feet lift off the mat reduces leg drive and destabilizes the pelvis.

Modifications and props

• Feet against a wall

  Place the soles of your feet flat against a wall baseboard to provide traction and support as you work to straighten the knees.

• Hands on blocks at wall

  Angle yoga blocks securely against a wall under your hands to elevate the wrists and reduce shoulder compression.

• Strap around thighs

  Secure a strap around the mid-thighs at hip-width to prevent the legs from splaying outward as you extend the knees.

• Chair-supported wheel

  Drape your mid-back over a backless yoga chair and extend your legs long to experience the chest opening with less effort.

Cautions

• Wrist impingement or carpal tunnel

  Avoid full extension if you have active wrist inflammation or severe carpal tunnel syndrome.

• Shoulder injuries

  Skip this deep overhead extension if you have acute rotator cuff tears or shoulder instability.

• Severe back pain

  Do not practice this intense backbend during flare-ups of disc herniation or spondylolisthesis.

If you are working with an injury, pregnancy or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practising this pose.

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