Repeat the pose on the opposite side, starting with
your feet together and hands outstretched. Then reach
back, grasping your right ankle with your right hand
while you keep your left arm outstretched in front, palm
facing downward. Hold this balancing pose for about ten
seconds, then slowly return to a standing position.
The metaphor of the bow is used widely in yoga. To hit
the target you are aiming at, you must first pull back to a
still point that is full with potential. There is a classic
Vedic story of an archery class in which Arjuna with his
brothers and cousins are receiving instructions from the
master archer, Drona. In a distant tree, Drona had placed
a wooden bird onto which he had painted an artificial eye.
He then asked each young man in succession to pull back
an arrow but not release it until the student described
what he was seeing. The first apprentice said that he saw
the bird, the tree, the surrounding land, and the other stu-
dents standing around him. Drona told him to put down
the bow without launching the arrow. Each subsequent
student responded similarly upon being asked the same
question. When it was Arjuna’s turn, his response was,
“All I see is the eye of the bird.” When asked by Drona,
“Don’t you see the bird, the trees, and the surrounding
people?” Arjuna replied, “No, Guru, all I can see is the
eye.” At this response, Drona instructed him to release the
arrow, which struck a bull’s-eye.
The technology for success in life is first to pull back to
a still, quiet inner place from which you can become
clear about your goal, and then act with the full power of
your intention. In yoga, the bow poses remind you to
dive deep within yourself to find your quiet, unbounded
146 The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga