Akarna Dhanurasana for Strengthening Arms,Shoulders and Chest

This pose is meant to mimic the shooting of a bow. Yoga practitioners attempt to identify patterns and perceptions that interfere with progression to an awareness of oneness. In old times these distractions were expressed as various demons and spirits or entities. This posture is performed as an expression of identifying these distractions and removing them.

Akarna Dhanurasana - Detailed Description

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Steps:

1. Bend the left leg in knee and keep the foot on the thigh of right leg. Keep the right leg straight.
2. Hold the big toe of the left leg with left hand, and that of the right leg with the right hand.
3. Exhale, and inhaling start lifting the left leg with the left hand and pull it up to the left ear, and stabilize it at that point.
4. Continue normal breathing.
5. After few seconds come back to the original position.
6. Now holding the right leg at big toe by fore finger and thumb of right hand raise it up to the right ear. Again after few seconds come back to the original position. This completes one round of Akarna Dhanurasana.

Benefits:

• The practice of Akarna Dhanurasana strengthens feet, shoulders, thighs, buttocks and calves. Through this it gives a beautiful shape to legs!
• Arms, shoulders and chest get stronger with practicing the shooting bow!
• Nerves are stimulated and refreshed. This can be especially good for people who work a lot with their hands such as writing or drawing. Also office workers who sit for long periods or tailors who do both, sitting for a long time and working with the hands, can benefit very much from this yoga posture.
• This yoga pose is also beneficial for your belly as it contracts and releases the muscles and moves the whole abdomen area. 
• It stimulates digestion so if you have difficulties with constipation and indigestion, this exercises can do wonders for you! Pain in the lower regions of the abdomen and the larger intestines is prevented and relieved.
• This is also one of the yoga poses that, if done regularly, can help if you have irregular menstruation.
• It opens chest and gives your lungs room to expand and breathe.

Tips and Help:

• In this asana the direction of strain is towards the joints of the waist.
• Persons with weak waist joints should not do this asana as it brings great strain to the joints.
• If you have spinal injuries you should avoid this yoga pose.