5 Health Benefits Of The Camel Pose

Yoga aims at healthy body and healthy mind. Ustrasana or the Camel Pose is the pose where your back is arched. In the camel pose, the thighs, trunk and head resemble the neck of a camel therefore; the name camel pose. This asana has been associated with several health benefits. This pose gives a wonderful stretch to the thighs, abdomen, thoracic region, ribcage and throat thereby beneficial in smooth functioning of lungs, hearts and other important parts of the body.

To do a camel pose, youstand on the knees with the arms at the sides. Curl your toes under.The knees and feet should be together, but may be separated if this is more comfortable.Lean backward, slowly reaching for the right heel with right hand and then the left heel with the left hand. Do not strain.Push the hips forward, keeping the thighs vertical, and bend the head and spine backward as far as is comfortable.Relax the whole body, especially the back muscles, into the stretch.The weight of the body should be evenly supported by the legs and arms.The arms should anchor the shoulders to maintain the arch of the back. Maintain this final position for as long as it feels comfortable. Continue breathing normally. Return to the starting position by slowly releasing the hands from the heels one at a time.

Here are the ways in which doing the camel pose benefits your health:

* Helps lose belly fat

If one practices this yoga technically and regularly, considering awareness, breathing and maintaining the same for a certain period of time, belly fat burning can be observed even within week. Thus regular practicing this asana for a certain period of time also ensure in weight loss. This not only reduces abdominal fats yet plays an important role for the proper functioning of abdominal organs.

* Prevents lung diseases

Practicing of camel pose helps to expand your chest and thoracic region and ward off nasal congestion, sneezing, blocking of respiratory passage, bronchitis, and manage other ailments related with lungs. Ustrasana also expands the ribcage and make the associated muscles more supple and flexible thus facilitated deeper breathing.

* Prevents and manages thyroid disorders

The practicing of this pose under the supervision of a yoga therapist not yoga instructor helps to manage thyroid. The asana facilitates smooth massage to the thyroid gland thereby helps to ensure proper releasing of thyroxin hormone, which is good for thyroid problem.To get maximum advantage of this asana, perform it peacefully and concentrating the mind on the appropriate stretching of the thyroid region.

* Promotes healthy spine

The practicing of camel pose or half camel pose gives suitable stretching to the spine, accordingly ensures vertebral loosening. While performing this asana, the shoulders are pulled backwards and the chest is pushed forwards, that helps to correct rounded shoulders and stooping back. This asana helps relieve back ache and neck ache.

* Helps manage diabetes

Due to wonderful stretch to the whole chest and abdomen, at the same time imparting a thorough massage to the internal organs, this pose is useful for alleviating various abdominal ailments associated with the kidneys, pancreas, intestines, liver, etc. Due to appropriate massage to pancreas, it helps to provide insulin hormone thus good in the management of diabetes.