USHTRA ASANA

The Ushtra Asana or Camel Pose aims at opening up the chest cavity, promoting lymph drainage, sliming the thighs, waist line, hip and activating the vishuddha chakra or thyroid plexus.

TECHNIQUE

Stand on the knee little apart with the feet standing on the toes or keep flat pointing back.

Keep your hand on your waist and start curling your head, shoulders, chest cavity back.

Release your hands one by one trying to catch hold of the ankles.

Stay here for a while, pushing the thighs, abdomen, chest cavity and chin up and out.

Ushtra Asana

To release, support your back with your hands and slowly come up vertebra by vertebra on knees.

Always support your back when curling back and while coming up.

Come up very slowly vertebra by vertebra to avoid spasms and jerk.

Keep a cushion under the knee incase of knee pain.

Stay in the position to your capacity.

In a variation of this Asana curl back only to your capacity.

In another variation of this Asana While standing/ sitting on chair/ stool support your spine and curl back to your capacity.

Duration is from 10 to 30 Seconds

Avoid in high Blood Pressure, Spinal Injury, Migraine, Cervical, Slip Disc, Lumbago, osteoporosis, frozen knees, hips or shoulders.

BENEFITS

It is excellent when done in combination with Shashank Asana.

It increases the lung capacity by expanding the rib cage.

It works to mobilize the fat tissue of abdomen, thighs and hips.

It increases the muscular flexibility, mobility of joints and elasticity of ligaments of the spine.

In this Asana with gravity pull, blood circulation is boosted in head and hence, sensory organs are activated and helps in curing hair problems.

It strengthens the arms, shoulders, knees and thighs.

It massages the kidneys and bladder and gives simultaneous stretch and contraction to posterior and anterior sides of the body.

It increases blood supply to brain and increases memory, concentration and reduces stress and anxiety levels.

It helps in cases of insomnia, nightmares, disturbed sleep, depression, tension headaches.

It regulates the functioning of the pituitary, pineal thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands.

It increases the flow of prana to brain and spine.

It activates the Udaan Vaayu, energizing the vishuddha chakra.

It helps in kidney malfunctioning, asthma, bronchitis, breathing problems, poor memory/concentration, depression, tension, headaches, constipation, stiff back, weak feeble voice, hormonal imbalance.