Bowing is the act of lowering the torso and head as a social gesture in direction to another person or symbol. It is most prominent in Asian cultures but it is also typical of nobility and aristocracy in many European countries. It is also used in religious contexts, as a form of worship or veneration. Sometimes the gesture may be limited to lowering the head such as in Indonesia, and in many cultures several degrees of the lowness of the bow are distinguished and regarded as appropriate for different circumstances. It is especially prominent in Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, Korea, and Japan, where it may be executed standing or kneeling. Some bows are performed equally by two or more people while others are unequal β the person bowed to either does not bow in return or performs a less low bow in response. A nod of the head may be regarded as the minimal form of bow; forms of kneeling, genuflection, or prostration which involves the hands or whole body touching the ground, are the next levels of gesture.
Man bowing
Steven Gerrard performing a wai
Judo practitioner (right) performs a bow while seated in seiza.
Muslim practitioners performing Sajdah or Sujud.
Kneeling is a basic human position where one or both knees touch the ground. Kneeling is defined as βto position the body so that one or both knees rest on the floor,β according to Merriam-Webster. Kneeling when only composed of one knee, and not both, is called genuflection.
A boy in the courtyard of the Great Umayyed Mosque in Syria
Worshippers kneeling (sujud-style) to pray
Kneeling in prayer is traditional in Christianity
Before the funeral, several portable, individual kneelers, called prie-dieus, were placed for use around this casket.