Ustrasana | Camel pose
Ustra = Camel, asana = posture or pose
Pronounced : OOHS-tra-AA-SUN-aa
Ustrasana or Camel pose is an intermediate level back-bending yoga posture known to open Anahata (Heart chakra). This yoga posture adds flexibility and strength to the body and also helps in improving digestion. ↑
Precaution of ustrasana
- Back injury or neck injury, high or low blood pressure: Perform this pose only with the supervision of an experienced teacher.
- Patients suffering from insomnia should also avoid this yoga pose.
- You may place a cushion below your knees to ease your way into the pose.
- You tend to strain your back and neck a lot in this pose. A beginner’s tip for camel pose would be to keep a chair above the feet and touch the base of the chair with your hands instead of your feet. ↑
Procedure of ustrasana
- Come on your knees, place the knees hip width apart, body upright. Toes tucked under, or if you are more flexible, point your toes back.
- Place your hands on your lower back, heels of the hands resting on the lower back, fingers pointing down.
- Engage your legs. Pull the thighs back so the hips are still over the knees. Rotate the inner thighs in a little and with your hands help to lengthen the buttocks down. At the same time visualise drawing the front hipbones together and up to activate the belly. Your hip bones and lower ribs firm towards each other. Try to maintain this action throughout the pose.
- With the lower body stable, begin to breathe in towards the chest, drawing the shoulder blades back as you lift the chest.
- On an exhale start to come into your backbend keeping the chest lifted and without crunching the neck or lower back.
- You can keep the head neutral throughout the pose, chin towards the sternum (recommended), if you take the head back, do so only when the opening in the chest is at its fullest and your neck is long and happy.
- Lift the lower back ribs away from the lumbar spine to create even more length in the lower back and to facilitate the opening in the chest even more.
- Stay in this pose anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute, breathing into the chest to facilitate the opening there. When you notice you cannot breathe properly you are taking the pose too far and you should back off to a variation you can sustain with breathing smoothly.
- To come out, place the hands to the front hip bones and guide them down as you lift back up on an inhalation. If your head is all the way back lead with the heart, bring the head up last.
- Neutralize and lengthen your spine in Downward Facing Dog Pose before resting in Child's Pose for a few breaths. ↑
Benefits of ustrasana
- Improves digestion.
- Stretches and opens the front of the body. It also strengthens the back and shoulders.
- Relieves the body of lower back ache.
- Improves flexibility of the spine and also improves posture.
- Helps overcome menstrual discomfort.
- Useful as an initial practice for back bending. ↑
