#hamstring-stretch

#hamstring-stretch

Akarna Dhanurasana is a pose of focused attention. "Karna" means the ear and the prefix "a" means near or toward. Since "dhanu" means bow, the image is of an archer pulling back a bowstring. Besides flexibility in the hip joints and vertebral column, the pose demands good balance. Beginning and intermediate students can both benefit from Akarna Dhanurasana. It can relieve back fatigue after vigorous asanas, stretch the hamstrings (back thigh muscles) of the straight leg, and open the hip joint of the bent leg.

Big Toe Pose ( Padangusthasana), in which the student grasps the big toes with the index and middle fingers while keeping the spine extended (Figure 1), is a more advanced variation of a standing forward bend. The difficulty is not only in reaching the toes, but in maintaining the quality of that movement so that the spine is freed rather than compressed.