Ustrasana or Camel Yoga Pose
As has been rightly said, “A healthy mind dwells in a healthy body.” To keep our body healthy, there exist a number of essentials like a proper diet, exercise, yoga, and meditation. Yoga keeps our body fit in many ways—physically, mentally, and spiritually.
It has been medically proven that yoga helps in alleviating various health related problems like stress, respiratory problems, backache, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes. The goal of yoga is to attain a balance between mind and body. It is different from conventional forms of exercise in the sense that it is less tiresome and has a lower risk of muscle and ligament injury.
Yoga does not require forceful rapid movements, rather slow and dynamic movements are involved. It is an energy giving technique. Yoga includes various postures (asanas) that give specific benefits to body and mind. Every posture involves a complex series of muscular contractions and relaxations, which are guided by our breath. Every posture is specifically beneficial to some specific body part.
Ustrasana (camel pose) is one such asana which offers multi-purpose benefits. It enhances the flexibility and strength of the shoulders, tones the muscles, alleviates neck pain, and activates the respiratory, nervous, circulatory, and endocrine systems. The camel yoga pose also improves mental concentration and attention.
How to perform camel yoga:
Holding the asanas help you in increasing muscle strength. However, if you feel excessive strain in your lower back, exhale and return to the upright position. After relaxing for a moment, try the asana again. Repeat this pose three to four times daily.
Precautions: The most frequent mistake committed while performing the camel pose is forcefully bending backward. You should not practice this asana if there is any disability of the hip joints, backache, or any spine deformity. An important thing to be considered here is that there should not be any pain on stretching and balance must be attained by stretching each side of the body equally. In a nutshell, by performing the Ustrasana, you can get relief from stress and attain a relaxed and rejuvenated physical and mental state just as a camel does in the unfavorable and hostile conditions of the desert.
It has been medically proven that yoga helps in alleviating various health related problems like stress, respiratory problems, backache, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes. The goal of yoga is to attain a balance between mind and body. It is different from conventional forms of exercise in the sense that it is less tiresome and has a lower risk of muscle and ligament injury.
Yoga does not require forceful rapid movements, rather slow and dynamic movements are involved. It is an energy giving technique. Yoga includes various postures (asanas) that give specific benefits to body and mind. Every posture involves a complex series of muscular contractions and relaxations, which are guided by our breath. Every posture is specifically beneficial to some specific body part.
Ustrasana (camel pose) is one such asana which offers multi-purpose benefits. It enhances the flexibility and strength of the shoulders, tones the muscles, alleviates neck pain, and activates the respiratory, nervous, circulatory, and endocrine systems. The camel yoga pose also improves mental concentration and attention.
How to perform camel yoga:
- Sit up on the knees with heels of your feet pressed against your hips.
- Grasp your left ankle with the left hand and right ankle with the right hand, while bending backward.
- Inhale through the nostrils and lift your hips off your legs, arching the back and thrusting the abdomen forward. Tilt your head as far back as possible.
- Hold this posture and feel the stretch along your spine.
- Exhale and slowly return to the initial position.
Holding the asanas help you in increasing muscle strength. However, if you feel excessive strain in your lower back, exhale and return to the upright position. After relaxing for a moment, try the asana again. Repeat this pose three to four times daily.
Precautions: The most frequent mistake committed while performing the camel pose is forcefully bending backward. You should not practice this asana if there is any disability of the hip joints, backache, or any spine deformity. An important thing to be considered here is that there should not be any pain on stretching and balance must be attained by stretching each side of the body equally. In a nutshell, by performing the Ustrasana, you can get relief from stress and attain a relaxed and rejuvenated physical and mental state just as a camel does in the unfavorable and hostile conditions of the desert.