Camel pose (Ustrasana) is certainly a challenging one. For a start, we’re moving from the back, which is not something we usually do.
But let’s look at the benefits. Not just the health benefits that come from doing any yoga, but how the lessons of camel pose can come off the mat and into your life.
On the mat, the pose requires both strength and vulnerability. You’re engaging the core, the quads and the thighs and pressing through the hands to lift the chest more. Then because you’re opening through the chest, you’re exposing the vulnerable parts of the body – the heart and other vital organs.
In our lives, we know we need to be strong in the face of a challenge, but what about being vulnerable?
Embracing our vulnerability can mean moving on despite fear of what might happen and what people might think. We can also experience our feelings — any feelings that come up — without any judgment and without trying to suppress them.
The truth is, if we let go, it gives us space to be our authentic selves.