One of our favorite back bends at Yogis Anonymous! Upward bow is a beautiful "heart opener", or front body opener that requires lots of leg strength, and the ability to straighten your arms when you lift up. If it's hard to straighten the arms, take bow pose, as that will open the muscles fascia and tissue that are making it difficult to straighten the arms in upward bow. Try to create equal space between the vertebrae. Think of the spine like you would a garden hose--try not to "kink" the hose, so you don't block the flow of energy!