Yoga Health Secrets

Yoga for backache, back pain, aching legs, and bad posture

The Camel Posture (Ustrasana)

This is another Yoga exercise which involves a backward bend. I warn you before you attempt this exercise that it is not as easy as it looks, and great care must be taken while coming out of this position. As in all Yoga asanas you must take your time and move without jerking and in particular this applies to movements involving the spinal column. The Camel is simple enough.

1. Kneel down and sit back on your heels with your toes outstretched.

2. Place your hands on the floor palms down, just behind your toes. Your fingers should be pointing away from your body.

3. Lean on your hands, throw back your head, and while inhaling very slowly lift your buttocks off your knees until your spine is fully arched. I have demonstrated the correct Camel Posture in figure 17, page 62.

4. Remain in this position for as long as you comfortably can while holding your breath then very slowly and carefully lower your body until you have returned to the starting position. It is during this part of the exercise that you have to take the greatest care as there is great strain on the back of the neck and if you jerk back to the starting position you could get a nasty crick in your neck.

So please go carefully and you will greatly benefit from this valuable posture. It tones and strengthens the muscles of the spine and gives it greater elasticity. It will also correct any displacements in the vertebrae and will strengthen the neck and shoulders. A word of warning. The Camel Posture should not be attempted by anyone suffering from hernia or serious abdominal disorders.

In writing this chapter on backache and bad posture I have not forgotten the many people who suffer from sacroiliac troubles. Here is a Yoga exercise which will bring relief from this tiring and distressing complaint.

The Centred Spine Bend

1. Stand up straight, feet together and your hands at your sides. Cross your left foot over your right with the toes of your left foot on the floor and the heel off. Your right knee-cap should lie behind the back of the left knee. Resist the temptation to move your body to the left as it is important that your spine should remain centred, and do not try to straighten your knee.

2. Inhale deeply through the nose and while exhaling bend forward, very slowly and carefully, until your finger tips touch the floor or if you are very stiff bring your fingertips as near to the floor as you can. Do not try to force your hands lower than they will comfortably go. With constant practice you will be able to reach the floor when you will obtain the maximum benefit from this exercise.

3. Remain in the bending position for as long as you comfortably can without inhaling. When the impulse to inhale appears do so and at the same time straighten up again.

4. Repeat the CENTRED SPINE BEND three or four times then reverse legs and repeat thus three or four times. Two points to note. Firstly do not move your shoulders or your buttocks while bending forward, as all the work should be done by the spine above the waistline. If you perform this exercise very slowly and carefully and practise it faithfully at least three or four times a day you will soon experience relief from your sacroiliac troubles.