What a better posture of the month than the one that wraps you up like a bow! Just like many of the other postures, Bow Pose is a gift to your spine. It concludes the four postures of the spine strengthening series and for that reason, works all three parts of the spine. You begin the posture by grabbing your feet from the outside just below the toes. Your shoulders relax back, chin out with neck flat on the mat. As you start to kick your legs up and back behind you, simultaneously look up to the ceiling and lift your head and chest off the floor (eventually, your ribs will start to leave the floor, too). Your goal is to look like two wheels in one base, perfectly symmetrical from the front and from the side. Ideally, you will create a a perpendicular line in the center from the side view with your feet directly over the deepest point in the arch of your spine. You should also aim to create a line from your shoulders to your knees that is perfectly parallel to the floor. From the front view, your feet should be in line with each other, not one higher than the other, and your knees should not go wider than your hips. By maintaining this alignment, you will over time achieve the "perfectly tear drop shape" you hear referenced in class. Bow Pose is chuck full of benefits in addition to improving flexibility and circulation along in the full length of the spine. It opens up the rib cage, allowing your lungs to expand, and improves digestion, relieves bronchitis, and reduces diabetic symptoms through compression and release of the intestines, spleen, liver, and kidneys. Bow Pose also relieves most common back injuries. So give your spine the gift of a great Bow Pose your next class!