Camel Pose: Prepare to Backbend

Backbends are exhilarating. They stimulate the nervous system, and can promote freer breathing. They are the perfect antidote to a sedentary life. Camel Pose (Ustrasana) is one of yoga’s more challenging backbends.

The Camel Pose (Ustrasana) we know today—as in the above photo—is not the same as it was in its early incarnation. While Camel Pose has been mentioned in yogic texts since as early as the 1700s, it more closely resembled Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) than the Ustrasana we know today. The traditional pose looked much like Dhanurasana, but instead of lifting the thighs off the ground, the thighs stayed grounded, the ankles crossed.

The first description of Camel Pose in its current form was by Sita Devi, author of Easy Yoga Postures for Women, in 1934. Still, the traditional version continued to proliferate in some circles until the 1960s, when the kneeling version became ubiquitous.

One thing most of us can agree on is that Ustrasana in its current form can be intense. That’s why it’s important to prepare the body before attempting to practice it.

Why Practice Camel Pose?

Like all backbends, Ustrasana relieves some of the problems that arise from too much sitting. When we sit habitually for long periods, our glutes lose strength as our hip flexors shorten. Bending forward over a desk or device can cause our shoulders to slump over time, giving way to forward head posture.

Practicing Camel Pose can help reverse all these issues. Here are some of the benefits:

• Stretches the entire front of the body, the ankles, thighs and groins, abdomen, chest and throat
• Lengthens the deep hip flexors (psoas)
• Strengthens back muscles
• Improves posture
• Stimulates the organs of the abdomen

Ustrasana Cautions

As with all yoga asanas, Camel Pose is not for everyone. Here are some contraindications for practicing the pose:

• Neck or low back injury
• High or low blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Migraine
• Second and third trimesters of pregnancy

How to Prepare for Camel Pose

As I mentioned above, preparation is important. Here’s how I suggest preparing for Camel Pose:

• Begin with a few relaxed Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara) to warm up the body in general.
• Mobilize the thoracic spine. The thoracic spine (the segment of the spine that’s attached to the rib cage) is not capable of backbending. But you can create more mobility in that area by twisting and side bending. Try Talasana (Palm Tree Pose) for side bending. Any twist you choose can be helpful. Try adding some twists to your Sun Salutations. Revolved Lunge Pose (Parvrtta Anjaneyasana) can fit nicely into your Sun Salutations.
• Stretch the quadriceps and hip flexors. You can do this by practicing Lunge Poses (Anjaneyasana), or Half Hero’s Pose (Ardha Virasana).
• Stretch the shoulders and chest. Supported Fish Pose (Salamba Matsyasana) is a great way to ease your chest open to prepare for the pose.
• Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) is the same shape as Camel Pose, but with a different orientation to gravity, so it can be a helpful prep pose as well.

How to Practice Ustrasana

1. Gather your props: a Yoga Mat, two Yoga Blocks and a folded Yoga Blanket. The blocks and blanket are optional, but it’s good to have them handy just in case.
2. If you know that your knees are sensitive to pressure, place your folded blanket on your Yoga Mat. Otherwise, you can skip using the blanket.
3. Come to a kneeling position on your mat or blanket with the tops of your feet on the floor. Place a Yoga Block, at its highest height, on the outside of each foot. Make sure the blocks are on your mat, and not on your blanket if you’re using one.
4. Place your hands on your pelvic rim and press downward. Imagine your tailbone extending down toward the floor. At the same time, lift your chest, lengthening your back.
5. For some people, including myself, allowing the head to completely release back, as in the above photo, can cause dizziness or nausea. Feel free to keep the head more neutral, lengthening both the front and back of your neck. You can also move your chin toward your chest.
6. Without leaning your pelvis back—keep your pelvis over your knees—bend your lumbar spine back and reach for your blocks. Continue lifting your chest.
7. Press into your blocks to lift the chest even more. If this feels pretty easy, you can lower your blocks to their middle height. If this feels easy, you can reach for your heels.
8. Take 5 to 8 deep breaths. Then release the pose and sit on your heels or on one of your blocks, keeping the spine upright.
9. It can be helpful to repeat the pose one or two times more. Backbends often become more easeful with repetition.

Winding Down

You may feel tempted to go right into a forward bend after practicing Camel Pose. But it can be kinder to your back to ease into forward bending. Before forward bending, practice a twist, such as Revolved Belly Pose (Jathara Parivrttanasana). Then practice a few seated forward bends to lengthen out your back body and relax your nervous system.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell discovered yoga in 1982 and began teaching in 1986. Charlotte is the author of Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyday Practice and Yoga for Meditators, both published by Rodmell Press. Her third book is titled Hip-Healthy Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Guide to Protecting the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Pain (Shambhala Publications). She writes a monthly column for CATALYST Magazine and serves as editor for Yoga U Online. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte plays oboe and English horn in the Salt Lake Symphony and folk sextet Red Rock Rondo, whose DVD won two Emmy awards.