Akarna Dhanurasana ( sa, आकर्ण धनुरासन; IAST: ''Ākarṇa Dhanurāsana''), also called the Archer pose, Bow and Arrow pose, or Shooting Bow pose is an asana in hatha yoga and modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...

. The posture resembles an archer about to release an arrow.

Etymology and origins

The name of the pose is from Sanskrit कर्ण ''Karṇa'', "ear" with the prefix ''Ā'', "towards" or "near". धनुर ''Dhanura'' means "bow" and आसन ''asana'' means "posture" or "seat". The name alludes to a myth in the

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

in which the infant

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...

is able to lift

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

's enormous bow, and when she reaches marriageable age, only

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

is able to wield it, and so become her husband. The pose is shown as ''Dhanurāsana'' in the 19th century ''

Sritattvanidhi The ''Sritattvanidhi'' (, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instructions for, and ill ...

''. It has its modern name in the 1966 '' Light on Yoga''. File:Sritattvanidhi Akarna Dhanurasana.jpg, Pose labelled ''Dhanurāsana''
in the 19th century ''

Description

Akarna Dhanurasana involves pulling the foot towards the ear from a seated position with the legs outstretched. The pose can be prepared for with

Marichyasana Marichyasana ( sa, मरीच्यासन ; IAST: ''Maricyāsana'', the pose of the sage Marichi) is a sitting twist asana in modern yoga as exercise, in some forms combined with a forward bend. Etymology and origins The name of the pose ...

; Baddha Konasana is sometimes used to lead into Akarna Dhanurasana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akarna Dhanurasana Sitting asanas Asymmetric asanas