Hot Yoga Pose Forums > Danurasana: Floor Bow
From Kristina: Rolling weight in my belly feels really awful. It's very painful and I would rather not do it. So what am I doing wrong? The kicking part is fine, it's just the weight on the belly.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I agree Kristina. Optimally what you're doing here is not so much "weight in the belly," as balancing on the belly button: one tiny little point holding your entire body aloft, much like the inner-edges, eventually front-edges of the big toes holding your body balanced in Utkatasana. It should feel light. Try focusing on the belly button instead of the flat of the belly.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Sometimes my body freaks out in this pose---like a spasm/s in my calves--and I have to come out of the pose early. What is with that?
Laura
Laura, on a strictly physical level (and nothing ever is) that kind of cramping or spasm is a sign of dehydration - muscles need water! Drink more and add a few drops of our electrolytes at the studio (Concentrace minerals). Now that you have experienced the discomfort there may also be a little fear of the pain causing you to contract as you prepare or begin this pose....focus on long, deep exhales as you start and remain in the pose...the body can't contract in an exhale, it lets go despite emotional contraction. The body movements will loosen the mind and the heart.
Rhonda Uretzky
This pose was not one of my favorites at first, but now I can keep my knees in line. If I keep my breathing focused and kick back more on each exhale, I kick higher!
Mallory Maier
I think this is the pose I'm most emotionally attached to - it's the one where my insecurities and not-enoughness really comes out. On few occasions where I've really kicked up nicely, I've internalized that as much more of an accomplishment than I should be taking it. Of course, other days I'm flopping all over the place. The big breakthrough with me was simple: focus on the kick.
Melina
Here's another breakthrough for you Melina: on days when you kick up nicely, CELEBRATE! It IS a HUGE accomplishment and more importantly, so is every accomplishment you determine, everything that makes you feel good , it's all cause for CELEBRATION (note to self time for My Happy Dance!)
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Aimee - Knees in line can be a double-sided blessing. On the one hand your hips feel strong and grounded; on other hand you dont necessarily kick up as high as when your knees are splayed (and ruining your hip alignment). So yes, keep the hips and knees parallel and kick, kick, kick! In full extension the knees will not be perfectly parallel but neither will the hips be turned-out into the danger zone.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Without fail, this is the one pose that I get foot cramps in. Odd? I don't know but I will try to kick back hard and then, bam, cramp!
HeatherS
This is my absolute favorite pose of all the back strengthening series. Just as with standing bow. I don't know maybe it is that it brings me back to my dancer days:) Now to just get my hips alligned so that my toes are at equal height above me head (my new goal for this pose)
GabbyL
Try this, Heather: imagine the kick originating in your thighs rather than your foot; you'll feel stronger and you might just bypass that cramping which is often a sign of dehydration but can also be due to tightening the foot as you focus on the kick as coming from the foot
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I can definitely see the dancer in you both the standing and floor Danurasanas, Gabby. Yes, focus on aligning the hips but know that they will never actually be parallel to the floor when you're in the full standing split - remembering to move in that direction will simply keep the hips from splaying. Same with the floor Danurasana. As for one foot higher than the other: the two sides of any body are not a perfect match. Celebrate your left-and-right side personalities as you see them in your body right there in the mirror.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I like this pose better since learning the cue ' roll forward to the hips' . It helps me to keep looking up. Also, some time ago I realized that I was closing my eyes in this pose. I dont do that since I became aware that I was and my practice has evolved in ways that are hard to describe. Learning the script helps to do it better too, then I can more precisely feel the muscles that work in the pose.
KimA
I love this pose. It reminds me a beautiful lotus. We just discussed it yesterday. I do feel that I concentrate on keeping my knees together and kick up. However, if I keep my knees together I can't kick higher. I do want to get to the full extension of a beautiful lotus as I see this pose. However, I do want the form to be correct as well as the depth.
Alfia
Alfia, MODIFY your comment to address what Kim noted first, about closing her eyes, rolling forward to the hips, looking up - interestingly all of these are relevant to kicking higher with correct form which is your comment so do read and comment on what she has offered. Form is always more important than depth; you can possibly go quite deeply into any asana without correct form - and that is where injury can result. You can also kick higher if you keep your shoulders back and let the kick pull on your arms to lift your chest; and point your toes imagining the big toes piercing the ceiling
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
It is very important always keep your eyes open except for final Savasana. Rolling forward to the hips distributes the weight properly and you find your ground, the point, where you can start kicking really high. It is amazing how we find these little details in the script. Looking up is essential to get to a deeper extension and it feels good.
I love this pose. It reminds me a beautiful lotus. We just discussed it yesterday. I do feel that I concentrate on keeping my knees together and kick up. However, if I keep my knees together I can't kick higher. I do want to get to the full extension of a beautiful lotus as I see this pose. However, I do want the form to be correct as well as the depth.
I am glad Rhonda that I am on the right way and do believe that the form should be right then the depth will come. I am glad we agree on this one. I really like the comment about the shoulders that may help to go deeper I will try it in my next class I did not know I can let the kick pull on my arms to lift the chest higher. I thought based on the instructions that the depth comes mostly from the kick . It is interesting how it all interlaced. It is fascinating and as always there is something new to learn.
Alfia
Alfia, the depth of this pose comes ALL from the kick. This instruction is correct. That kicking will pull the shoulders back and the arms long. Not sure what you mean about agreement; just as when you are instructing students, they dont need to agree, they simply need to follow instructions.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Rhonda, I was referring to the agreement related to the depth and form. Form is first, then go deeper. In today's class I kicked more and allowed myself to kick and keep knees and hips parallel when I kicked higher. It does take a lot of strength to keep your knees parallel when they are not together as at the beginning of the pose. The pose went deeper I discovered something new today. It was nice. I wonder how it feels It must be great when you can kick and reach the full extension of a Beautiful Lotus = Floor Bow. Lots of things to learn. I guess it is normal the more you know, the more you understand that there is so much more to learn. The Lotus has been opening gradually and gracefully to me. I love every step of the way :).
Alfia
i agree with u alfia that if you dont start out with the knees together/parallel it takes a lot of strength to get them back in alignment. sometimes i will only kick harder with left leg and ease up on my right to balance them out bc my right leg turns out. i can feel the unbalance right from the start now without looking in the mirror.i used to look at myself in the mirror to see how high my legs were coming up, but now i realize i am going way higher when i look up like im trying to see my toes
danielle bumber
Yes first form, then depth and kick really hard to allow this force to pull the shoulders back and open the chest as this pose is a huge heart opener. When i kick hard it stops my momentum from rocking back and forth. If i kick hard FIRST then the rocking dosen't even start.
Like Gabby, my toes are not at equal height above my head when i kick. I take a quick peek in the mirror to try and align them by adjusting my kick as Danielle mentions she kicks harder with the left leg and eases up on the right to balance them out.
Although i love how you put it Rhonda and say celebrate your left-and-right side personalities as you see them in your body.
TinaA
i had an aha moment a couple months ago when one of my teachers showed me exactly where to grab on the tops of my feet. for a long time i would think that i was grabbing the tops of my feet with my fingertips but really my fingertips were touching the inside of my feet so my wrists were never straight. once i could hook my fingertips on this boney part of the tops of my feet my wrists were straight and i was able to kick much higher :)
danielle bumber
I had the same aha moment, Danielle! It made everything so much better :)
Another aha moment I had was when I really kicked up with my legs before doing anything with my upper body. It does the trick, keeping you from see sawing back and forth and bringing you to balance pretty much straightaway on your hip
Bones.
I tend to kick too hard on one side, making my one foot look higher than the other in my reflection and causing my whole body to swivel on the mat. I'm learning that the more your knees touch, the more you can gauge the symmetry of your feet without having to look down into the mirror.
Grace
Yes, yes, yes, Grace, Danielle and Alfia, knees, knees, KNEES! Always parallel in this pose even though you can kick higher if you swivel them...swivel all the way to surgery on the hips and/or knees. Ouch. So not worth it
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
I actually love kicking hard and rolling forward, I remember the first few times rolling forward and the rush I felt... I did not know how to handle the sensation now I look forward to the rush! I hope everyone gets to feel that rush sensation. And if you don't know kick harder and roll forwRd more lol
Becky
This one puts all the "pieces" of your back - lower, middle and upper back - back together. Be sure to take a big Darth Vader inhale as you set up - you want to energize your heart before you kick back into this one; it's a huge heart-opener.