Camel Pose: Ustrasana
Purposes and Benefits:
- Relieves back problems by compressing spine
- Stimulates nervous system
- Improves neck flexion
- Flushes blood through kidneys
- Promotes elimination of toxins
- Opens shoulders, rib cage, lungs, and digestive system
- Strengthens back and shoulder muscles
- Invigorates and improves flexibility of neck and spine–especially thoracic spine
- Extends throat, thyroid gland, and parathyroid glands
- Helps cure constipation by stretching abdominal organs
- Slims abdomen and waistline
How to Do:
(NOTE: If you feel dizzy during this pose, keep pushing your hips forward and remember to breathe. The backward bend causes a change in blood pressure, which can result in dizziness.)
- Start with knees on floor and maintain 6 inches of space between knees and feet
- Support spine by placing hands on back of hips with fingers pointing down
- Keep elbows drawing in towards one another and let shoulders roll back
- Inhale while lifting chest, and exhale while dropping head back
- Inhale again while lifting chest, use hands to support spine, and exhale while arching torso back farther
- Keep chest lifted throughout pose to minimize compression in lower back
- Ensure that hips are forward and lined up above knees by doing these: Bring right hand down to grab right heel and left hand down to grab left heel; Put thumbs on outside of feet and place fingers on soles
- Maintain tight grip on feet so you can push hips forward
- If hips collapse back and you sink into spine as you grab heels, keep hands on hips and keep lifting chest
- Keep arching spine back and work hips forward while lengthening tailbone down toward floor
- Continue lifting chest to ensure that body weight hasn’t sunk back into heels and hands
- If you’re feeling anxiety/fear, relax and breathe; breathing can also help you go more deeply into pose
- (NOTE: If you have high blood pressure or any heart condition, please do the next step, which is holding the pose, for only 5 seconds. With more practice, you can gradually ease into the hold and increase the time.)
- Breathe deeply as you hold pose for 20 seconds, and allow heart to open and lift
- Reverse out of pose by bringing right hand to right hip, and then bring left hand to left hip
- Press knees down and use abdominal strength to lift and straighten up spine
