USTRASANA

Camel Pose

Ardha Bhekasana in Ustrasana Parivrtta Ustrasana Ustrasana

Ustrasana
Camel Pose, Full Versions

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A Tantric website refers to this as Dandasana, or Pose of the Rod Pose. Click here to see more commonly-found versions of Dandasana.

Ustrasana Demonstrated Peter Sterios

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The Yoga Centre P.O. Box 653 San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 (805) 544-YOGA Photograph by Michael Sexton (Click here for Mr. Sexton's Website.) Yoga Journal, September, 2001 Tel: 510-841-9200 or eMail

Ustrasana Demonstrated Donna Farhi

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Donna Farhi 73 Jacksons Road Lyttelton 8012, New Zealand Tel. 011-64-3-3287600 Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness by Donna Farhi 2000 Henry Holt &149; ISBN: 0805059709

Ustrasana
Camel Pose Yoga International April-May 1999 2000, Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the U.S.A. by Sandra Anderson

The yoga postures are like flowers. Each is a blossoming of the body's potential, a transformation of the raw elements and energies into a flower offered to the reality of the moment. The transforming effects of the asanas are apparent in many postures. The offering aspect is particularly pronounced in forward bends, in which a sense of surrender predominates, but the feeling of blossoming is the forte of backward bends. The camel pose, Ustrasana, is a good example. Here, rooted through the thighs and knees, the spine lifts, and the chest and throat open, creating a bloom that is nourished and sustained by the sap rising from earthy stores of the lower body. Such a flowering must be coaxed, not forced. In the camel pose, as in many backward bends, that means anchoring through the pelvis

Ustrasana

and legs with the proper classment, and then inviting the upper back, chest, and shoulders to open and welcome the flood of life-giving energy flowing up the central core of the body.

With careful preparation, the camel pose is valuable for beginners as well as more advanced students. It is less complicated than many backward bends, such as the wheel, scorpion, and pigeon. And because gravity is pulling you into the pose, the camel is more exhilarating than the prone backward bends, such as the cobra, in which you are working against gravity. In the camel, the feeling of falling backward is thrilling once you are stable and grounded enough in the lower body to feel secure and comfortable. As the focal point of the pose is in the chest, Ustrasana makes a wonderful preparation for pranayama, and good therapy for anyone who tends to rounded shoulders, a sunken chest, or general stuckness in the upper body. It also strengthens the thighs and lower back and increases awareness and strength in the pelvis.

Preparing for the Camel

We will begin with a few preparations from Vajrasana, the diamond pose or kneeling pose, to establish correct classment in the pelvis and legs. Sit on your heels with the feet pointed straight back (Figure 1). (Cushion the surface if the ankles or feet are uncomfortable.) Press the inner thighs together and squeeze the hips slightly; you'll feel the pelvis lift off the heels just a little, rising up from the foundation of the legs. Let the spine lift and the front of the body open and rise as the shoulders drop and the shoulder blades move down the back. The back of the neck lengthens.

Figure 1: Vajrasana

Soften the belly and let the breath be full, easy, and round. Then inhale and lift the arms overhead, maintaining firmness in the lower spine and legs. Stretch the arms, interlacing the fingers and turning the palms up (Figure 2). After a few breaths in this position, press the arms, still overhead, back away from the torso. Keep the pelvis stable and don't arch the lower back. Instead, let the sternum lift, the chest open, and the shoulders stretch. As you breathe, feel the ribs separating. Then lift the face to the ceiling. Hold for a few breaths and feel the upper back and throat stretch and open. Return the head to vertical with the arms still alongside the ears. Reach diagonally to the right, stretching and lengthening along the left side of the torso. Move in one piece and resist the urge to round the upper back or roll the left shoulder forward. Hold and breathe, then return to center and repeat on the other side. By stretching the upper back and spine, opening the shoulders, and establishing classment and strength in the legs and pelvis, we have laid the foundation for the camel. Figure 2

Ustrasana
Now we're ready to begin working with the pose itself. From Vajrasana, lift off the heels and move the knees slightly apart so they are directly under the hips. Make sure the feet are also hipwidth apart, and spread the tops of the feet into the floor. As in Vajrasana, draw the hips and inner thighs toward each other without moving the knees, and tuck the tailbone under slightly. Keep the thighs vertical. Place your hands on the lower back to help bring awareness and energy into the pelvis (Figure 3). Stretch up off the legs and lengthen and lift the torso.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Continue pressing the tailbone, lower back, and upper thighs forward as you lift the sternum up and back, and draw the shoulder blades toward each other and down. Lengthen the back of the neck and look up at the ceiling (Figure 4). Hold and breathe, softening the muscles of the back, and moving the sensation of curve in the lower back into the upper back. If you're comfortable and want to deepen the pose, lift the back ribs, release the hands, and stretch the arms down to rest the hands on the heels. Keep the thighs vertical. The hands may rest on the soles of the feet, fingers toward the toes (Figure 5), or you may just reach the heels with the fingers. If you can't reach the heels, be content to work with your hands on your back, or come out and try the pose with the toes turned under.

If the hands still can't find the feet, and you have a sense of plunging head over heels into the void, try this: arch back only as far as you are completely comfortable. Then twist the torso slightly to one side and look over your shoulder at your feet. Once you have sighted the heels, you may be able to press the pelvis forward, arch the back, and reach the hand down to its heel (Figure 6). If not, simply return the hand to the back, and turn the head and trunk back to center. If you can reach the heel with one hand, leave it there as you rotate the head and chest back to center. Now the other heel is within easy reach, and you are comfortably in the pose.

Figure 6

Keep the thighs vertical and press down through the knees, inner thighs active, sacrum lifting into the pelvis. Let the breath fill the body, softening the belly, opening the lungs and chest, releasing the shoulders, lengthening the front of the neck. When the stretch feels symmetrical through the length of the spine and you feel strong and fully present in the pose, stretch the throat up and the top of the head toward the floor (Figure 5). Hold a few breaths longer, concentrating first on the breath, and then, as the breath becomes full and easy, be aware of the energy circulating throughout the whole body. When the bloom of the pose begins to fade, you're ready to come out. Figure 5

If you came into the posture one hand at a time, come out the same way. Turn slightly to one side and look over your shoulder as you release the opposite hand. Then press the pelvis forward, releasing the hand you are looking at, and lift up out of the pose. Turn the chest and face center. If your back is strong, come out by pressing down through the thighs, releasing both hands and lifting the chest up and forward. Let the buoyant heart lead you out of the pose.

Variations for Shoulders and Pelvis

You can accelerate the chest-opening aspects of Ustrasana by stretching one arm overhead (Figure 7). Come into this version by bringing one hand back to the heel as described above. Stretch the opposite arm straight up as you lift the chest, look up, and press the pelvis forward. Reaching one arm up as the other stretches down behind you has the effect of expanding the front of the body, drawing the spine toward the front, and extending the arch of the lower back into the upper back, thus smoothing the curve of the spine and drawing energy from the pelvis and legs into the chest and throat.

Figure 7

Let this opening continue by reaching the top of the head and the arm back, as if you were going to bring the hand and top of the head to the floor behind you, keeping the arm alongside the ear and the thighs vertical (Figure 8). Breathe and relax the abdomen, letting the whole body expand and lengthen on the inhalation, reaching out a bit more through the shoulder, arm, and fingers. Exhale and settle into the space you have created. Figure 8

When you're ready to come out, inhale and lift the head and arm back to vertical; then with the strength of the legs and abdomen, lift the torso back to center. Rest for a few breaths in the child's pose, and then repeat this version of Ustrasana on the other side with the same attentiveness you gave the first. Note any differences.

Here's another variation that focuses on the pelvis. Because one leg is forward, it resembles the pigeon pose. If pelvic classment and flexibility are issues for you, you may find this a valuable addition to your practice. It is less stable than the other variations we have discussed, so be forewarned, and work with this version only if the others are comfortable.

Kneeling, bring the right foot forward, keeping the knee over the toes and the shin vertical. Tuck the tailbone, tighten the buttocks, and ground down into the floor through the left knee. Press the pelvis forward, lift the chest, and bring the right hand back to the left heel. When you're stable there, lift the chest a little further, and center the torso over the right knee. Keep the face forward. Without rotating the torso, stretch the left arm back to also catch the left heel (Figure 9). Press the right foot into the floor, keeping the knee in line with the foot to stabilize the pose. Lift the heart and press the chest forward and up to deepen the pose. Stretch the top of the head toward the floor behind you if you're stable and comfortable. Let the breath expand the posture. Feel the ribs opening, the heart lifting and leading you into the world.

Figure 9

To come out, shift your weight forward by pressing the pelvis forward, releasing the hands on the heel. Lift the torso over the pelvis and bring the head up. Rest in the child's pose if you need to, then repeat with the right knee on the floor and the left foot forward.

In

Due

Time

In a practice sequence, Ustrasana fits nicely after warm-ups and the standing poses as you come down to the floor to begin sitting, supine, and prone postures. The standing poses have activated the energies of the lower body, have awakened the potential for a natural mula-bandha (root lock) for those who are ready to work at that level, and also have integrated awareness throughout the body. Vajrasana follows naturally from the standing poses, as it relieves tired legs and directs energy upward?and once the root of the lower body is awakened, the upper body is free to bloom. As we have seen, it is a convenient starting place for the camel

pose. Arching back from a kneeling posture, Ustrasana turns our attention from the straight-ahead into-the-world perspective of the standing poses to the inner realm of feeling and intuition where the intellectual mind loosens its grip and the innate wisdom of the body rises to blossom into the world.
Sandra Anderson is a contributing editor to Yoga International.

Ardha Bhekasana in Ustrasana

Half Frog Pose in Camel Pose

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Ardha Bhekasana Ustrasana

Ok, I made that up. eMail me if you know the real name of this asana!

in

Demonstrated Sidersky

by

Andr

Hatha Yoga by Andr Sidersky of Kiev, Ukraine

Parivrtta Ustrasana (?)

Camel Pose Variation

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Parivrtta Ustrasana Demonstrated by Andr Sidersky

Hatha Yoga by Andr Sidersky of Kiev, Ukraine eMail me if you know the real name of this asana!

Ustrasana Variation Demonstrated by Dharma Mittra

Dharma Yoga Center 297 Third Ave. @ 23st. New York, NY 10010 Tel. 212.677.4075

Ustrasana Variation Sometimes jokingly referred to as "Camel Droppings." Demonstrated by Mestre de Rose
Universidade de Yoga Rio de Janeiro, Brazil This site is in Portuguese. Please eMail us if you can translate or know more of this yogi!

Ustrasana Variation Demonstrated by Joanie Tomb

Yoga Life Michael Suzerris, Owner/Manage r 7200 Woodlawn Ave. NE Seattle, WA 98115 Tel. 206-5290581

Created on ... December 05, 2001 by Yoga Dancer Designs. This page was last updated on Tuesday, 24-Apr-2007 10:08:03 EDT, and today is Wednesday, 28-May-2008 14:34:54 EDT.

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