...had 4 humps. And so might you if you continue to hunch over a computer screen all day, hour after hour, week after week, month after month. You get the point. The spine gets no lovin at a desk job.
Who would have thought a camel could come to the rescue? Enter Ustrasana. Ustra means, camel, in sanskrit. Now, most poses bear a likeness to their namesake in the animal kingdom, but I just don't see it here. And quite frankly, I hope you don't see the resemblance either. This pose clearly isn't paying homage to humps (lovely lady lumps, maybe), so I'm thinking it has more to do with the lanky animal's unusually spindly legs and freakish ability to kneel very easily for a being that large.
In any case, it's one of my favorite poses, because it counteracts nasty computer crunch by expanding the heart, stretching the entire front of the body, the throat, chest, abdomen, thighs, and ankles. And for some, this pose can be quite affecting, especially if you are stuck emotionally or withdrawn.
There's something about exposing the heart, letting it crack wide open for all to see that can stir up all kinds of emotional goodies. Bring it on, I say. Just dont forget to breathe. To find your way into this pose, check out the Ustrasana play-by-play here: www.progressivepoweryoga.com/about_yoga/txt_camel.html
