A couple of weeks in the past, I wrote a publish on the right way to put together your physique for Camel Pose (Ustrasana). Camel Pose is a difficult backbend. It stretches your entire entrance physique, particularly the quadriceps, stomach, chest and shoulders. Within the publish, I outlined a sequence you may observe with the intention to stretch and mobilize these important areas of the pose. In at the moment’s publish, I’ll describe how one can observe Camel Pose with Yoga Blocks to make the pose extra accessible and cozy.

A typical concern in practising Camel Pose is that straining to succeed in your heels along with your arms restricts respiratory. Training Camel Pose with Yoga Blocks raises your arms and reduces the pressure in your chest, which may help ease your respiratory.

Not everybody’s spinal construction helps simple backbending. As you may see from the above photograph, the lion’s share of the backbend happens within the lumbar backbone. (The thoracic backbone is just not actually designed for greater than minimal backbending.) Some individuals’s lumbar spinous processes are giant and thick, which means that they’ll “hit” one another a lot before shorter, thinner spinous course of do. This restricts vary of movement in spinal extension.

As well as, some practitioners have a extra pronounced thoracic kyphosis (convex curve). This additionally restricts vary of movement in backbending. So despite the fact that the thoracic backbone’s vary of movement in backbending is proscribed, even a small quantity of extension makes the pose simpler, whereas a curvier thoracic backbone will limit motion. All that is to say that practising Camel Pose with Yoga Blocks could make the pose accessible to virtually everybody.

How you can Observe Camel Pose with Yoga Blocks

You may observe Camel Pose with Yoga Blocks 3 ways. Yoga Blocks have three totally different peak choices: tall, medium and quick. (The above photograph reveals blocks at their medium peak.) Right here’s the right way to observe Camel Pose with Yoga Blocks.

1. Collect your props: a Yoga Mat and two Yoga Blocks. You may additionally place a folded Yoga Blanket beneath your knees for further padding for those who like. If you happen to’re utilizing a blanket, fold it in order that it’s narrower than your mat, and place it within the middle of the mat.
2. Come to a kneeling place in your mat and/or folded blanket.
3. Place blocks at their highest degree on the outsides of your toes. If you happen to’re kneeling on a blanket, be certain your blocks are in your mat or on the ground moderately than in your blanket to provide them a secure base. (This is applicable to strong flooring corresponding to wooden or concrete. I wouldn’t advocate utilizing blocks on plush carpeting.)
4. Place your arms in your pelvic rim and press down, releasing your tailbone towards your knees.
5. Raise your chest and lengthen your backbone as you start to bend backward, reaching in your blocks.
6. Take just a few breaths with the blocks at their highest peak. Is your respiratory free and unrestricted? If not, keep right here for just a few extra breaths to see if it turns into simpler.
7. In case your respiratory is simple, be happy to show the blocks on their sides, to medium peak. Examine in once more along with your respiratory. In case your respiratory is free and straightforward, take just a few breaths right here. Then if you would like, you may decrease the blocks to their lowest degree. Once more, verify your respiratory.
8. Free, unrestricted respiratory is far more vital than getting your arms to your heels or to the bottom peak of your yoga block. So preserve checking your respiratory to ensure it feels relaxed.
9. Take 5 to eight deep breaths, wherever you might be within the pose. Then return to kneeling and both sit in your heels or sit on one in every of your Yoga Blocks as your knees enable.

One Extra Suggestion

Yoga Blocks can definitely make Camel Pose extra snug, however it’s equally vital to be sure that we put together the physique to the fullest extent attainable earlier than we embark on Ustrasana. I extremely advocate that you just learn the publish I wrote just a few weeks in the past about the right way to put together your physique for Camel Pose, and the right way to calm down afterward to rebalance your physique. Your breath—and a pair Yoga Blocks—can information you right into a Camel Pose that’s each exhilarating and relaxed.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and commenced educating in 1986. Charlotte is the creator of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Observe and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third e-book is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and people sextet Pink Rock Rondo, whose DVD received two Emmy awards.