This article could well be called why the pull or why the push or even why lock the knee. It's not actually the performance of the action that I will talk about here but moreover what the performance of the action will create.

We wrote that back in 2016, in a piece called Why the Kick, and we wouldn't change a word of it now. Standing Bow Pulling Pose (Dandayamana Dhanurasana) is the second of the three balancing postures in the 26 postures, and the kick is the engine of the whole thing.

Setting up

Before you chase depth, get the foundation right:

  • Keep standing leg locked and strong - it's your foundation
  • Kick back and up into standing hand rather than pulling leg up
  • Stretch forward first, then allow natural backbend to develop
  • Focus on one point for balance rather than looking around
  • Proper alignment matters more than depth

Depth comes later. It always does.

If balance is the bit that undoes you, remember that eagle pose, two postures earlier in class, is the preparation for all of this balancing work.

Intensity is a choice

The choices you have are about the level of intensity you wish to apply to the posture. You could work at 2% or 5 % as a newcomer or you could be really quite an adept yogi and be working at your full capacity for the whole class.

Nobody's marking you. Two per cent, applied honestly, still counts.

English Bull dog determination

The more you apply yourself the more you will need to use what Bikram calls English Bull dog determination. Will power, patience, courage, fearlessness, concentration, faith in your abilities, determination, endurance (I'm talking mental endurance here).

Common faults and fixes

Kicking before you lock

The kick is exciting and the lock is boring, so most people kick first. Lock first. Your standing leg is your foundation, and if it isn't locked and strong the kick has nothing solid to push against.

Pulling instead of kicking

Your hand isn't there to drag the foot up. Kick back and up into your hand and let the kick create the shape. Stretch forward first and the backbend develops on its own, without you forcing it.

Staying down after you fall out

Everyone falls out. Falling out is part of learning, so come back in immediately. The long-timers fall out too, they just get back in faster. Progression takes months or years, and every one of the balance postures is teaching you the same lesson: be patient with the process.

Why the kick

The action of the kick will start to transform you at a deeper level. The action of the kick will get you in touch with your inner strength. The action of the kick will show you how powerful you can be. You will start to open up and have a tangible awareness about who you really are and then the consequences of that will flow into all other areas of your life.

Your life will be changing because you are learning how to apply yourself and kick, or pull, or lock.

Now you know…why the kick.

Perfect your Standing Bow at 185 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. Call 0449 228 740. Class times are on the timetable and prices are on the pricing page.

See you in the hot room