HEALTH Simple back-strengthening exercise

Simple back-strengthening bend will improve posture


Yoga
Lee Kennedy

Ustrasana, or ‘camel pose’, is the only back-bend posture that is generally taught to beginners in a yoga class. It gives an anti-gravitational lift to the spine and spinal muscles.

Camel pose

• Kneel on a yoga mat with the knees and feet hip-width apart. (More advanced students performed this pose with the knees and feet together.) Blankets can be useful here as padding, especially if the knees are stiff.
• Check the shin bones are parallel and the toes pointing straight back.
• Place the bases of the palms of the hands on the tops of the buttocks, fingers pointing downwards.
• Use the hands to spread the back pelvis and lengthen it down through the tail bone.
• Keeping the thighs perpendicular to the ground extend, lengthen and lift the entire front trunk up.
• Drawing in the tailbone, move the spine in between the shoulder blades.
• Exhale, keeping the chest well lifted, curve the trunk back, and take the hands to touch the heels behind.
• Use the hands to lift the chest further by moving the shoulder blades in.
• You can keep the neck in the neutral position, neither flexed nor extended, or drop the head back. But be careful not to strain, keeping the neck long at all times.
• Stay in this position for one or two breaths.
• To release, raise the head up, bring the trunk to the upright position by taking the hands to the waist. Come back to sit on the knees and rest.

In this back bending posture the whole front side of the body gets fully involved, it can help to open up the chest and the thoracic spine area, the abdomen and the quadriceps. It also gives a deep stretch in the hip flexors (the psoas, where the thigh meets the pelvis ).
Practicing this yoga pose daily can help improve the overall posture, and strengthen the back muscles.

Lee Kennedy qualified with The BKS Iyengar Yoga Association UK, the YTTC and Ana Forrest of Forrest Yoga. She specialises in pregnancy-related yoga and also studied with Janet Balaskas, founder of the Active Birth Foundation, UK. Call 0863906343 for more information.