Camel pose (ustrasana) is one of the few backbends that encourages a strong engagement of the front line of the body. Because you are moving backwards into the pose (imagine gravity like a heavy blanket trying to push you further into the pose), your abdominals (rectus abdominis) need to work eccentrically (engaged and lengthening) to enter the pose properly. If you attempt the pose without putting your hands behind you, you’ll feel the abdominals work very hard to keep you from collapsing backwards!
Camel is also a gateway pose to other challenging backbends (laghu-vajrasana and kapotasana), if you are you interested in such exotic treats.
Component Parts
A component part: a part of the body that needs to be warmed up or educated in order to do the peak pose effectively.
In order to prepare the body for camel pose, the following activations and lengthenings in the body need to be specifically addressed:
- neutral hips: the thighs need to stay neutral at the hip. Because the big ol’ glute max will tend to engage and externally rotate the thighs, you’ll have to use your adductors to squeeze the legs in and internally rotate them slightly.
- lengthened hip flexors: the hip is in a position of extension in this pose, so a few deep hip opening poses for the hip flexors is a good idea.
- spinal extension: backbend should be targeted to the upper back. Backbends are great poses for counteracting some of daily slouching postures.
- core engagement: the core needs to be activated to prevent hyperextension in the lower back.
- arms in extension (behind you).
Let’s take a look at these component parts one by one to see some of the preparatory poses that can help you get there. Keep in mind that preparatory poses should be more accessible than the peak pose 🙂
Neutral Hips
Poses that help you to “scissor the legs” and “hug your inner thighs together” are teaching your adductors to engage. These muscles line the inner legs and help to both adduct and internally rotate your inner thighs. Some good poses for teaching this action:
- chair with legs together (squeeze the legs)
- hero’s pose (teaches a bit of internal rotation
- lunges (high lunge or low lunge)
- twisted chair
- twisted lunges
- locust pose
- eagle pose (when done properly; see this video for tips)
Lengthened Hip Flexors
The hip flexors are muscles that cross the front of your hip joint. To stretch them, take your thigh back relative to the pelvis.
- lunges (high lunge or low lunge) – awesome hip flexor openers! The best. Do several.
- side angle pose – the back leg, if you give your glute a good squeeze
- reclined hero’s pose – as long as your careful of your knees: see here
Spinal Extension (Backbends)
The trick with teaching backbends properly is to focus the spinal extension into the upper back while stabilizing the lower back. When you are teaching all your backbends, make sure to set your students up for success by integrating these instructions early on. You can also add backbends to your standing poses.
- low lunge, high lunge with backbends
- sphinx
- locust (all variations)
- bridge
- cobra (low and high)
- upward facing dog
Core Engagement
In backbends, the core needs to be activated to prevent hyperextension in the lower back. In backbends, the muscles of the front of the body are lengthening eccentrically while they are contracting, which is a nice change from doing crunches (when they contract and shorten).
- plank
- chaturanga
- boat (note that this pose can get a little tight in the hip flexors though)
- supine leg lifts
Arms In Extension
Though you probably don’t need to warm up the shoulders that much, the shoulder joint is in extension (arms behind you). What needs to be trained here is the extension of the shoulder WITH the widening of the collarbones. In other words, don’t let the shoulder heads drop forward when you take the arms back. You want the shoulder blades to move closer together to help support thoracic extension (backbend). For tighter students, have them hold a strap with hands shoulder distance apart so they can get the action of the shoulder and chest together.
- tadasana with hands interlaced and arms in extension
- locust
- high lunge/low lunge with hands interlaced behind you.
- prasarita padottanasana C (wide legged forward fold with hands clasped behind you)
- bridge
Putting It Together
Once you’ve put these poses together in a sensible sequence, it’s time for the peak! Here’s my favorite entrance into this pose. You can also place a bolster across your students’ shins to help make the pose more accessible. Check it out!
Want more? Check out my continuing education courses in Yoga Sequencing and Teaching here.
