I don’t know if I am trying the bow pose too soon or not, but I’m having trouble grabbing my feet unassisted. What can I do to make things easier?
The pose requires opening in the frontal deltoids (shoulders), the hip flexors, and the quadriceps.
Can you outline what you are doing in your sequence to facilitate these things before Dhanurasana (bow)?
I have problems with it also. I just listen to my body.
You can do one side at a time with the other arm flat forward. But dont go more than feels comfortable , go slow. If this however does not work it means you are not ready for it.
Inner Athlete - I guess I’m not doing enough before I attempt the bow pose, especially where my quadriceps are concerned, because I always feel tightness down the front of my thighs. That’s what prevents me from grabbing my feet and achieving proper form in the pose.
Fakeyogis - Thanks for the suggestion; I hadn’t thought about doing one side at a time!
You could then also lift that arm if it feels ok. Needs balance.
Try practicing low lunges and locust prior to bow. Then open the shoulders; you could start with uttanasana (standing forward fold) with the fingers interlaced behind your back, slowly releasing your hands behind you toward the floor. Next you might practice downward dog, and gomukhasana, clasping either a strap or your fingers behind your back and working to pull the elbows in closer to your midline. Also try some other hip openers, such as thread the needle and pigeon (also known as sleeping swan).
Hope that helps.