How to do camel pose?

This pose is effective in calming the mind while also ensuring the core is engaged and strengthened. However, not all people are able to do this pose on the first try. Next, we will analyze everything related to this pose.

Technique

To do the camel posture we must follow the following steps:

1. We will kneel on the mat with the torso raised. We will place the knees under the hips and the parallel legs behind us.
2. We will put the feet flat on the ground so that the tops of the feet push down on the mat. We’ll straighten the ankles. We can also curl our toes to practice camel pose. The benefit of this is that it brings the heels closer together when we’re reaching for them, making it easier for beginners new to the pose or with tight hip flexors.
3. We will place our hands on our hips. We will bring the elbows back and expand the chest.
4. We’ll tone the bottom of your pelvis and move the space around your navel back a bit.
5. We’ll push down with our hands on our hips and push down through our legs. We will spread the toes and push down with the feet.
6. We’ll keep that heaviness in the lower body and lift from the waist through the sides of the torso.
7. We will stretch the spine and begin to lean back.
8. We will push the pelvis forward, root down with the hands and legs, and lift the sternum.
9. We will continue toning the pelvic floor and abdomen as we deepen the flexion of the upper back.
10. Once they are within our reach, we will place our hands on the heels one by one. We’ll push both hands down into our heels so we can push our hips forward a bit more and expand our chest.
11. We will stretch through the neck and look up at the ceiling. For a more advanced variation, we can look back. This can cause pain in the neck, so if it hurts, we will look at the ceiling.
12. We will work to balance the curvature of the back so that we don’t slide into the lower back. Instead, we’ll work the curve back through the entire spine.
13. To deepen the posture, we can place the hands on the feet, with the palms facing the soles, with the fingers pointing in the same direction as the toes. This is Ustrasana.
14. To come out of this pose, push down with your hands on your feet, tone your pelvic floor and abdomen, and lift from your sternum. We’ll bring our hands to our waists as we rise up and then shift forward into Balasana (Child’s Pose).

Profits

Performing the camel yoga pose creates positive effects on the body in the following ways.

improve mobility

Helps stretch the deep hip flexors, which promotes greater hip flexibility. The asana can also help improve posture because it focuses on stretching your back, which helps straighten it. Therefore, it is effective in relieving lower back pain by helping the hip flexors open.

Also, as we stretch our upper body to do Ustrasana, we are essentially stretching our back and shoulders. This helps improve mobility. The asana emphasizes opening up the leg muscles, ankles, and hamstrings. Toning your thighs, hips, buttocks, and back muscles is a direct result of regularly doing camel pose and holding it for about a minute.

As we stretch the entire upper body backwards, we engage the abdomen, back, and throat. This has a major and positive impact on the adrenal, thyroid, pituitary and pineal glands.

Promotes circulation

It provides good blood circulation to all the organs because the whole body is involved in this yoga asana. Camel pose benefits the female body by opening up the pelvic area. This effect may be related to the reduction of menstrual pain in the abdomen, ovaries, etc.

These Ustrasana benefits can help prevent conditions like varicose veins. It is also beneficial in getting rid of constipation and other intestinal problems as it completely stretches out this particular area.

Contributes to good mental health

Each yoga pose is performed by regulating our breathing pattern. While doing the camel pose, we will also have to regulate our breathing (as we assume the pose, we maintain it and then we leave it). This breathing exercise helps improve lung capacity, which increases the elasticity of lung tissue.

The flow of energy associated with camel pose helps to align and energize your chakras (the energy centers of the body). Ustrasana benefits the body by helping it get rid of fatigue and even anxiety at times.

Possible risks

Remember that although yoga is for everyone, not all postures are for everyone. If the body requires additional support in this pose, we will teach some modifications and alternatives later. People who should not perform camel pose are those who:

• They have a neck injury. In that case, it is recommended not to throw your head back in the posture. Camel pose can be too intense for the neck, depending on the injury, so we may want to avoid it altogether.
• They have some tension or tenderness in the neck. It is best not to keep the back of the neck elongated. We will look up, not back.
• They have a back injury. In this case, it is advised to practice a gentler backbend such as Salabhasana (Locust Pose) or Bhujanghasana (Cobra Pose).
• They are likely to have high or low blood pressure.
• They have spondylitis. This bending of the back can cause pain. They may wish to avoid Ustrasana.
• They have an abdominal hernia. It is advised not to do it until the hernia is healed.
• They suffer from migraines. This position can trigger them.

Tips and alternatives

The camel posture may have certain limitations in its development. For example, if we can’t reach our feet or if our hands don’t comfortably reach our heels, there are a few options:

• Tuck your toes in, which brings your heels closer to your hands.
• Stack yoga blocks on either side of your feet and place your hands on the blocks.
• Keep your hands on your hips.

If the legs turn out (or the feet turn in), we will place a yoga block between the thighs and squeeze it to activate (strengthen) the inner thighs. As a bonus, locking between the thighs can help deepen hip extension. The gluteus maximus is the main external rotator and extensor of the hip. Tightening the block prevents the legs from rotating, so we’ll use the gluteus maximus for hip extension instead of rotation. We can also place a block between the feet so that they do not move towards each other.

In the event that our knees hurt, we will place a yoga blanket under the knees or fold the mat to have a little more padding.

And, if we want to deepen the curve of the back , Ustrasana can be practiced with the front part of the body against a wall. We will continue pressing the thighs against the wall while leaning back. The stability of touching the wall with the legs/pelvis will give us more access to the flexion of the back.