Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

5/4/2017

4 Comments

Buddha Bose, Bow, 1938

Karuna Ghosh, Bow, 1961

Dr. Gouri Shankar Mukerji, Bow, 1963

Bikram Choudhury, Bow, ~1968

About 5 years ago, I saw photocopies of Buddha Bose's "Key To the Kingdom of Health Through Yoga, Vol. 1." I was struck by his muscular development and the absence of the deep, impressive contortion that is common in today's yoga competitions and demonstrations.

As we learn more about the history of yoga asana in the 20th century - how it evolved to incorporate a focus on physical health and fitness, acrobatics and contortion - we continue to question our purpose in practicing certain postures and the goals we pursue within them.

Pictured above are four iterations of Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) from the Ghosh Lineage of yoga. Starting in the upper left, they proceed chronologically: Ghosh's first yoga student Buddha Bose (upper left); Ghosh's daughter Karuna in his own 1961 publication Yoga Cure (upper right); one of his greatest students, Dr. Gouri Shankar Mukerji (lower left); and his most famous student in the West, Bikram Choudhury (lower right).

These four pictures cover the entirety of Bishnu Ghosh's career as a yoga instructor. We are struck by two things: their lack of "depth" according to the standards of today's practices, and their consistency through the decades.

CONSISTENCY
It's hard to ignore that these four pictures are almost identical in form and depth. What conclusion can we draw except that this is the ideal and fully-realized form of the posture according to Ghosh's teaching?

LACK OF DEPTH
Current practices of this posture encourage much deeper bending in the spine and deeper extension of the shoulders, even moving the shoulder (glenohumeral joint) into external rotation. Are the deeper versions of this posture better? Are they more beneficial? Is it possible we have lost the purpose of the posture in pursuit of deeper contortion?

Updates: This post was updated in March 2019. The opening sentence was changed to say "5 years" instead of the original "3 years."

4 Comments

maestro fabrizio link

9/12/2018 01:08:09 pm

Hi guys,

the lack of depth in this pose is only an illusion.
There is a point of no-effort in this pose wich activates kundalini.
But because you lack experience you will see a lack of depth.
The depth you see here is perfect.No need to bend deeper than this.Only obsessed Iyengar students and asana-contorsionist fanatics want to allways bend ALL the way back in this pose.
Your problem is that you focus too much on the superficial anatomy of yoga.
You must look at deeper physiology,you must look at the second body.
With the measure of depth depicted above ,cosmic energy can start pouring into the chakras concerned in this pose ,through the prana sharira,the second body if you like.
It's all about adjusting to the sensation of relaxation/lightness felt in the pose.Remember that whenever lightness is being felt,Kundalini starts rising upwards and inwards in Sushumna.
This is why lightness should be felt not only in this pose but in everypose.It's not that your body weight will change but lightness must be FELT!
If lightness is felt,like in the lower abdomen and the throat ,in relation to this pose,then it is a clear sign that kundalini is activated.
Because your subjective response to gravitation changes and you start feeling light;no need to bend back all the way to feel that posture work.
I invite you to have a deeper approach to asanas.Rather than the ill western perspective of asanas.
The questions you raise show that you are a beginner,that you don't yet know what you are made of.
goodnight.

Charisse

6/12/2021 08:27:53 pm

“Lightness” is the true goal! You are quite right-blessings

Rowena jayne

3/14/2019 03:22:02 pm

You fail to understand that we also looked like this too when we started !! By no means has my practice EVER been about the acrobatics of yoga and the depth of the posture !!!

Under the guidance of Emmy , Bikram , Jason Winn , Diane and all the amazing teachers I have truly respected..NONE of them have ever emphasised to focus on the depth

The depth occurs when we practice daily and HEAL .. the more pain and trauma I let go of the more flexible I became ...

People who are inflexible (remember I was once too) are always attacking those of us who have practiced daily and truly allowed the yoga to heal us and become open in our bodies and as a result see more depth ....

It’s not accurate and is a generalised statement to alienate people who have healed some deep deep trauma

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Susan Adams

3/15/2019 05:14:04 am

I appreciate tremendously all of your posts - history, insights, experience! This yoga has changed my life.

Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

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