Dhanurasana:

Dhanur means 'Bow. The body resembles a bow in this asana.

Procedure:
1. Lie down on the ground in prone position i.e. face downward on the floor, legs stretched, hands by sides.
2. Inhale deeply, raise your face from the chest. Bend your legs and grasp your ankles with hands keeping all the five fingers of your each hand on the inner side of the legs.
3. Push the feet back and up in one movement. Keep the arm straight. There should be a tug of war between the legs and hands so that your entire body comes to rest on your navel. Bend the body in bow shape.
4. Hold the position for as long as you feel comfortable. Exhale and come back in the basic prone position for relax.

Benefits:
1. This exercise has a highly stimulating effect on the endocrine glands. Starting with thyroids, it effects the thymus, hilum liver, kidneys, suprarenal capsule, pancreas and especially the sexual glands.
2. It is also helpful in cases of diabetes, sterility etc.
3. Children who are slow of comprehension should practice this daily. The solar plexus is recharged with vital force.
4. It provides flexibility to spine.
5. It benefits the entire digestive system, provides sufficient exercise to the neck, lungs and ribs.