Pose of the month: Dhanurasana

Hard to believe we are already on our way to summer but here we are.  Let's take advantage of the openness that the heat brings and do another month of backbends!  This month's pose is Dhanurasana (bow pose).  This pose stretches the entire front of the body and strengthens the back at the same time.  It is an invigorating pose that will leave you feeling energized and alive. 

                                                  *photo from www.yogajournal.com

To get into this pose:
Lie on your belly, bend your knees and hold your ankles (you can also wrap a strap around your ankles if your feet are far away).

Kick your ankles into your hands to lift your chest and thighs away from the floor.  Keep your thighs hip distance apart.  Move your tailbone towards the backs of your knees to keep the lower back long.  Move the shoulder heads back and press your shoulder blades into your chest to open the front of the body.  Keep the back of your neck long and soften your gaze.

Hold for 5 long, slow, steady breaths.

It will be more challenging to breath here- direct your breathe into the back of your torso.

To release:
Exhale to lower yourself back down, release your legs and lie on your belly.

Repeat 1 or 2 more times and then roll onto your back and take a nice easy twist followed by hugging your knees into your chest to let go.

IMPORTANT POINTS:
Keep the muscles of the lower back soft, if you feel pain in your lower back come out of the pose a bit.
Keep breathing even when it gets challenging.
Keep the back of your neck long so there is no crunching.
Keep the thighs parallel and hip distance apart, just like you would in bridge pose.