One needs to follow the following steps to complete the pose -
Start this pose by lying on your stomach upside down and with your feet hip width apart and your arms by the side of your body.
After this fold the knees and then hold your ankles.
Now breathe in and slowly lift your chest off the ground and pull your legs up and back.
After this, look straight ahead with a smile on your face. Curve your lips to match the curve of your body.
Now pay attention to your breathe and keep the pose stable. In this position your body should not taut as a bow.
Now relax in this pose and continue to take long breathes. Do not overdo and put too much strain on yourself.
Stay in this pose for about 15 to 20 seconds and then exhale. After this slowly bring down your legs and chest to the ground.
Release the ankles and relax.
The main anatomical focus of this asana is the spine. The backward extension of the spine is achieved with the back muscles and not by the leverage of the arms.
This is a very beneficial pose which has a lot of therapeutic applications. It helps to improve the process of digestion and clears constipation. It is also helpful in treatment of indigestion. It provides healing in case of lower areas of the abdomen and also relieves pain in the larger intestines. For women it helps in the regularization of menstrual cycle and brings them relief form problems related to menstruation. This pose is also highly beneficial for breathing as it enhances the capacity of the lungs to retain oxygen.
There are several benefits of this pose. Some of them are as follows -
It helps to strengthen the back and the abdominal muscles.
It helps to stimulate the reproductive organs.
It is also helpful in opening up the chest, neck and the shoulders.
It helps to tone the legs and the arm muscles and makes them strong and flexible.
It is also great in improving the flexibility to the back and makes it stronger.
It is also considered to be a great pose for relieving stress and fatigue. It refreshes and energises your body and mind.
For women it helps to relieve their menstrual discomfort and also helps to tackle constipation.
It is also beneficial for those people who are suffering from renal or kidney disorders.
It also helps to improve your digestion and appetite.
This pose is considered to be more beneficial for the ladies.
It helps to get rid of excess fat.
It works as a cure for dyspepsia, rheumatism and gastro intestinal disorders.
It helps to alleviate hunchback.
It is also recommended for people with diabetes as it improves the functioning of pancreas.
It provides combined benefits of cobra and locust postures.
Even though it is a very beneficial pose it needs to be avoided at certain times. Avoid practicing this pose in case you are suffering from high or low blood pressure, hernia, neck injury, pain in the lower back, headache, migraine or if you have had a recent abdominal surgery. This pose should also be avoided by ladies who are pregnant. It is also best to consult a trained yoga professional before starting yoga as to better understand the benefits or contraindications of any pose.
This pose can be quite challenging to the beginners, especially if they are not very flexible. They can have a hard time lifting their thighs away from the floor. In such a situation they can give themselves a little upward boost by lying down and using a rolled up blanket to support their thighs. This can make things a little bit easy for them.
One can bring in some interesting and beneficial variations if they have been able to master the normal bow posture. Once they have sufficient shoulder and back flexibility they can try advanced variations like - hold on to their toes with the hands and rotate the shoulders toward the face, with the hands behind the head as pictures. Try to arch the back as much as possible.
If you feel a pinching sensation in the lower back or sacrum while doing this pose back off and re enter by focusing on the elongation of the spine. Also ensure that your knees are in a comfortable pose and that your feet are strongly flexed.
Some of the preparatory poses one can try before attempting this pose are - Hero pose or Virasana, Bridge Pose of Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, Cobra Pose or Bhujangasana, Upward Facing Dog Pose or Urdhva Mukha Savasana. These poses will help bring the required flexibility and strength to the body.
Once you have completed this pose you can follow it up by the Reclining Big Toe pose or Supta Padangusthasana or Half Lord of Fishes Pose or Ardha Matsyendrasana.
You can also deepen the pose and make it more challenging and exciting by lifting your heels away from the floor and pressing your tailbone toward the ceiling. After this walk the feet a little closer to the hands and then from the height of the tailbone, press the heels into the floor again. this will help you in increasing the depth of the backend.