Akarna Dhanurasana: How to Practice the Bow Pose Yoga

A lesser-known pose that’s as helpful for tight hamstrings as it is for focus.

(Photo: Canva)

Published January 27, 2026 01:25PM

Yoga Journal’s archives series is a ⁢curated collection of articles originally published in past issues ‍beginning in 1975. This article first appeared in the may-June 1982 issue of Yoga Journal.

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.

What You Need to Know About This ⁢Pose

Like any asana, this one reflects poise between opposite forces. The mind must be balanced between the forward reach of the front arm and the backward movement of the bent arm pulling the leg up and back. Physically, the pose requires abdominal strength; mentally, it takes one-pointed concentration (ekagrata), which is a‍ crucial lesson of yoga.

According to The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, gathering one’s self inward to examine the relationship between movement ‍and stillness is asana, the concentrated examination of breath is