22/05/2020
🐪 Ushtrasana aka Camel pose
A very effective backward bending asana that helps us to open the front side of the body and loosens up the vertebrae. It can also be practiced with the palms on the lower back for additional support to the spine, whilst the toes can also be kept tucked under.
It is important to keep the pelvis pushed forward so that it remains in line with the knees and ensures this gives an effective backward bend to the spine.
I’ve often found this asana pretty tough after years of working at a desk all day and not doing much stretching, but my body is slowly getting more flexible as I practice yoga daily, and this is most certainly one of the most effective backward bends in the hatha yogis repertoire.
Along with removing stiffness from the shoulders & spine, it also helps with respiratory disorders and increasing our lung capacity, improving blood circulation to all the organs, relieving abdominal cramps & constipation, improving posture, and regulating the thyroid gland.
After performing this asana one should counter it with a forward bend. I often come into child’s pose immediately after and hold it for the same amount of time as I held camel.
Whilst in the asana breathe naturally, and be aware of the sensations in the abdomen, throat and spine. Spiritually this asana is connected to the swadhisthana (pleasure, humour, sexuality) and vishuddhi (communication, purification) chakras. You can perhaps try to visualise a orange light around the lumbo-sacral area of the spine or a purple light around the throat area, and imagine you’re crystallising the energy (prana) at these chakras. This will depend on where you feel you’re having blockages or issues in life, your relationship to pleasure or perhaps your interpersonal relationships. To better understand how the chakras can be used as a framework for evolving the quality of our consciousness & personality, I highly recommend the book “Practical Yoga Psychology” by Dr Rishi Vivekananda 🙏
