Week 39 : Camel Pose 

We are making our back bend a little stronger this week with Camel pose. 

In life, we don’t have many opportunities to fully open the heart and stretch the whole front of the body, we often live with collapsed chests and round shoulders, because many of our day to day activities involve us bending forward. This forward action of the body weakens (and tightens) your abdominal muscles, compresses your heart, lungs, and diaphragm, and often leads to lower back injuries and then there’s the effect that poor posture can have on your emotions. When you slouch you often feel tired, achy and down. But when you’re full of energy and vitality, in all likelihood your chest is lifted and your shoulders are back. That’s because the way you hold your body affects the way you feel, and vice versa. 

Fortunately the Camel Pose can counteract all that forward rounding. Dynamic and energizing, Camel offers welcome relief by stretching the muscles along the entire front body. It also creates space in your abdomen and chest, which aids digestion and breathing. Finally, according to yoga tradition, backbends open the heart chakra, one of the seven energy centers associated with love. But please proceed with caution moving slowly through all the stages of the practice before you even attempt the final posture. 

Come to kneeling on the floor with the knees hip width apart and the thighs perpendicular to the mat, firm you thighs and buttocks and feel your core drawing up towards your abdomen. Keep the hips as soft as possible and press the shins and ankles firmly to the floor. 

Rest your hands on your lower back with the fingers pointing downwards and inhale and lift the chest and press the shoulder blades into the back ribs. 

Stop here if this feels adequate and take 3-5 breaths before coming up and out of the posture. 

Or lean back a little further and feel the fronts of the thighs engage to hold you steady. Keep the chin tucked towards the chest and see if you can either bring both hands to your heels. 

Or bring one hand down at a time (with a minimal twist in the spine). 

You may not be able to reach the heels and keep the thighs straight up and perpendicular to the floor, so if you need to, you can tilt the thighs back a little until you have made contact between the hands and the feet and then gently move the hips forward again so the thighs become perpendicular again and you feel the strong back bend. 

If you cannot reach the heels with the feet flat – use the beginners tip and come on to the balls of the feet so your arms have less of a distance to travel. 

Once you have established the posture, allow the front ribs to gently move forward and lift the pelvis up, then lift the upper back a little higher and try to keep the lower spine long (rather than compressed). 

Keep the heart opening and press the palms of the hands into the soles of the feet (or heels), squeeze the shoulder blades together and your can either keep the head up with the eyes looking directly forward or you can drop the head back (but be sure not to strain the neck or feel the throat constrict). 

Hold for 3-5 breaths. 

To come out tuck the chin to the chest again and bring the hands to the front of the hips and then press the hips back down to the floor to lift the head and the torso. 

Finally come into a relaxed child's pose to rest. 

Posture : Camel Pose 

Sanskrit name : Ustrasana 

Benefits

*Stretches the whole of the front of the body – abdomen, chest, throat, as well as the ankles, thighs, groins and hip flexors. 

*Strengthens the back muscles. 

*Opens the heart and can help with people suffering from anxiety and fatigue and depression. 

*Improves posture. 

*Stimulates the organs of the abdomen. 

Avoid if : You have abnormal blood pressure, Migraine, Insomnia or lower back or neck injury. 

Beginners Tip : It is often difficult for beginners to bring their hands all the way down at the back, try doing it wilt the toes tucked under and the heels up and if it is still not possible, use a block at its maximum height to rest the hands on. 

Serena is a yoga teacher and the founder of The OM Space . She is a passionate believer in yoga as a life enhancing practice and runs several classes in Colombo including the very popular Yoga for Children and Yoga for Pregnancy. Serena trained in the UK with the British Wheel of Yoga and is a UK Yoga Alliance registered Senior Teacher.