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Ustrasana (; ), Ushtrasana, or Camel Pose is a kneeling back-bending
Ustrasana is a deep backward bend from a kneeling position; the completed pose has the hands on the heels. The backs of the feet may be flat on the floor, or the toes may be tucked under for a slightly less strong backbend.
The pose is one of the 26 asanas in the Bikram Yoga sequence.
Ustrasana (; ), Ushtrasana, or Camel Pose is a kneeling back-bending asana
An āsana (Sanskrit: आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and late ...
in modern yoga as exercise
Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of asana, postures, often connected by vinyasa, flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by pranayama, breathing exercises, and frequently ending with savasana, relaxation lying down or ...
.
Etymology and origins
The name comes from the Sanskrit words , meaning "camel", and , meaning "posture" or "seat". A different (standing) pose is given the name Ushtrasana in the 19th century ''Sritattvanidhi
The ''Sritattvanidhi'' (, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in the Mysore Palace, Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instru ...
''. The modern pose is described in the 20th century by two of Krishnamacharya
Tirumala Krishnamacharya (18 November 1888 – 28 February 1989) was an Indian yoga as exercise, yoga teacher, ayurvedic healer and scholar. He is seen as one of the most important gurus of modern yoga, and is often called "Father of Modern ...
's pupils, Pattabhi Jois
K. Pattabhi Jois (26 July 1915 – 18 May 2009) was an Indian Modern yoga gurus, yoga guru who developed and popularized the vinyasa, flowing style of yoga as exercise known as Ashtanga (vinyasa) yoga. In 1948, Jois established the Ashtanga Yo ...
in his Ashtanga (vinyasa) yoga
Ashtanga yoga (not to be confused with Patanjali's ''Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga), aṣṭāṅgayoga'', the eight limbs of yoga) is a style of yoga as exercise popularised by K. Pattabhi Jois during the twentieth century, often promoted as a ...
, and B. K. S. Iyengar
Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar (14 December 1918 – 20 August 2014) was an Indian teacher of yoga and author. He is the founder of the style of yoga as exercise, known as " Iyengar Yoga", and was considered one of the foremost yoga ...
in his 1966 '' Light on Yoga''.
Description
Ustrasana is a deep backward bend from a kneeling position; the completed pose has the hands on the heels. The backs of the feet may be flat on the floor, or the toes may be tucked under for a slightly less strong backbend.
The pose is one of the 26 asanas in the Bikram Yoga sequence.
Variations
The name Ardha Ustrasana, Half Camel pose, is given to two different poses. One is an easier modification with the hands on the hips; the other has one hand on the heel on the same side, as in the full pose, and the other arm stretched back over the head. The pose can be modified by providing supports such as yoga bricks beside the calves for the hands.See also
*List of asanas
An asana (Sanskrit: आसन, IAST: āsana) is a body posture, used in both medieval hatha yoga and modern yoga. The term is derived from the Sanskrit word for 'seat'. While many of the oldest mentioned asanas are indeed seated postures for m ...
References
Sources
* * {{Yoga as exercise Backbend asanas