Camel Pose

Steps

1. Kneel with the knees hip-width. Pad the knees. Toes can be tucked or untucked.
2. Place the hands on the lower back, fingers pointing down.
3. Lift the chest and press the hips forward slightly. Keep the neck long. Look forward or slightly up, not all the way back.
4. Come out by bringing the hands to the hips and sitting back to the heels. Rest in Child’s Pose if that feels good.

What this pose may help with

These lines describe why people practice the shape. A pose may help with ordinary stiffness or with settling your attention. They are not claims that the pose treats or cures a condition.

• Opens the front of the chest and the thighs in a range you choose.
• Strengthens the back of the body if you do not collapse into the lower back.
• A pose to approach slowly, after Sphinx feels easy.

Common mistakes

• Dropping the head back.
• Pushing the hips so far forward the lower back pinches.
• Reaching for the heels before the chest is organized.

Modifications

• Hands on the lower back only.
• Toes tucked so the heels are closer, if you later choose to reach back, or skip the reach entirely.

Safety

• Skip with neck injury, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or a back problem that dislikes extension.
• Knee pain: extra padding or skip.
• Dizziness or a pounding head: come out and sit.

If you are pregnant, injured, or dealing with back pain, consult a doctor before you follow this page. Stop for sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, or chest pain. This is movement education, not a diagnosis or a treatment. Read the medical disclaimer.

Camel Pose (Ustrasana, said oosh-TRAHS-uh-nuh) is listed here as a Intermediate Kneeling pose. The body area it emphasizes is Shoulders. A kneeling backbend. Hands on the lower back is a complete version. Reaching for the heels is optional and often too much.

Read the steps in order. Set the pose up before you try to deepen it. The first mistake called out on this page is: Dropping the head back. That line is there because the usual error is doing too much, not because a tighter shape is a better practice. The modifications keep the same idea when the full shape does not fit today. Use them on purpose. They are part of the pose, not a demotion.

People practice Camel Pose for a plain reason: Opens the front of the chest and the thighs in a range you choose. That “may help” is a description of why the shape is in a beginner library. It is not a claim that the pose treats, cures, or prevents a condition. Skip with neck injury, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or a back problem that dislikes extension.

If you are pregnant, returning from an injury, or your back has been painful, consult a doctor before you practice Camel Pose. A safety note on a website is education. It is not clearance. Sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, or pain that runs down a leg is a reason to stop and get care, not a reason to hold the shape longer. The medical disclaimer on this site says the same thing in more detail.

When you are done, come out slowly. One calm repetition you can repeat tomorrow is the point of the page. Pair Camel Pose with a short routine from this site if you want a sequence, and keep the timer as a guide you are allowed to pause.