The Benefits of Camel Pose or Ustrasana and How to Do It
Camel Pose (Ustrasana) is an energizing, heart opening, releasing posture, and a beneficial backbend.
An incredible addition to your yoga sequence that opens the front body and counteracts slouching relieving lower back pain making this great for people working at a desk often. This opening pose stretches the front of the body including the chest, abdomen, quadriceps, heart, neck, and shoulders leaving you feeling open and empowered. Camel pose improves spinal mobility and really brings you into the present moment with your breath! This yoga asana is a beautiful opening of the heart chakra - your energy center for love, caring, and compassion.
Camel pose is said to be named after the shape that resembles the hump on a camel’s back. There is much more to bring into our awareness when looking to the name and approaching the pose. Let’s talk a bit about the majestic camel! The name camel has an Arabic translation meaning beauty. That’s how this pose feels - like beauty emerging from your heart space. Camels are known for their patient, slow and steady, almost methodical way of moving. Rather than trying to hurry ourselves into the pose, we can choose embody the camel spirit by moving slowly, mindfully, and methodically. Camels use their humps for fuel reserves, ready to be used when needed most. This type of physical preparation is essential for the camel just as it is for us as we approach this pose. Take your time to gather all you’ll need to come in and out of this back bending journey with ease and beauty.
How to do Camel Pose, Ustrasana:
From Child’s pose, rise up to Hero’s pose. Come up onto both knees (in a kneeling position), placing them hip width apart, and stacking the shoulders over the hips and knees. Place the palms of the hands on the sacrum with the fingers pointed down.
Inhale and press the knees down reaching the crown of the head up towards the sky to lengthen the spine. Exhale and press the hips forward, squeezing the buttocks and thighs, engage the core, and supporting your weight with the arms (hands on sacrum) as you invite the body to bend backwards.
Very carefully reach one hand up toward to sky and windmill down to the heel one arm at a time. If you cannot reach the heels keep the hands on the sacrum, or incorporate blocks! You can add blocks to the outside of your ankles creating more height and space. Windmill the hands down to the blocks instead of the heels.
If it feels good in your body, mindfully invite the head to drop all the way back.
Holding tightly onto the heels with each hand actively press the hips forward lifting the chest up towards the sky creating space and length in the spine versus bending back and adding compression to the vertebrae.
Breathe deeply while keeping this physical engagement and hold for 3-6 breaths.
To release, slowly windmill one arm at a time back to the sacrum.
With both hands on the sacrum, slowly inhale up, letting the head and neck be the last to come vertical.
Exhale gently and come back to where you started in Child’s pose. Breathe deeply here for 3-6 breaths.
Camel pose is one of spinal mobility, slow intentional movement, and an invitation to expand your reserves or tap into them when needed. Allow your heart to be opened and embody the true essence of camel pose, ustrasana.
