Bows during Divine service are a visible sign of worship to the Lord, veneration of the Mother of God, and all His saints. In Old Believer prayer practice, as in the pre-schism Russian Church, there are three types of bows. This is how the pre-schism book “Son of the Church” and in the later Red Typikon describe them: “There are three names for the bows, the first of them is an ordinary bow, that is, to the chest or navel, and then the middle bow, that is, to the waist, and the third bow is big, that is, down to the ground. Whenever you have to bow down to the ground, do not hit your head against the ground and do not hit it on the floor of a church, as well as at home, but bow your knees and let your head hang low, and do not stick it into the ground, but place it on a podruchnik (prayer rug). And move both hands together from your heart and place them on the podruchnik politely, and do not spread your elbows… when we make bows, we all bow in the same way and together, and rise as well, looking at the rector.”
In addition to the bow down to the ground described here, which is called great, there are also so called throwings, i.e. bows to the ground, performed quickly, one after another, without bowing the head to the very podruchnik.
