The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Ustrasana › How to progress into full camel
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Ustrasana › How to progress into full camel
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Hi Gabrielle!
When I do camel I have my hips forward, my hands on my heels, my chest up and I can see my mat near my feet. Is there anything else I should do apart from continuously pulling my heels and pushing my hips forward?
I’d like to feel I am still progressing, instead of feeling that I can do it and there’s nothing else to this pose.
Should I be working towards full camel? And how do I do that?
I’ve only seen other people doing it, but I have never heard any specific instructions so I don’t know how they learned it.Thank you
MartinaHi Martina
:cheese: It definitely seems that you are ready to move on through to at least the intermediate part of this pose where you will really feel both flexibility and a great strength building in your back.
So for the intermediate pose this is what I recommend:
First set. Do what you are doing now.
Second set. Set up by pushing hips forward, stretch up and then drop head back. Place your hands in prayer position. Then go back into your backbend. Look for your feet.
Some points to notice: you will at first have to build the confidence that allows you to know that you can get up out of this pose without any assistance; finding the strength to propel yourself out. The first few times you may not go back as far as you physically can because you are learning your capabilities and learning how to push your edge and maintain that ability to come out safely. You will really notice how important it is to use your eyes to determine how deeply you go. In regular Camel your hips are forward of your knees. In intermediate and full positions, you will get to a point where the hips start to move backward behind the knees, simply to create that deeper backbend.
Keep looking for your toes. When you see them, come back and we can go through the steps to get into Full Camel.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Ahh was about to ask something about the advanced Camel but Martina beat me to it 🙂
Hmm, I’ve tried the advanced Camel with the help of my instructor a coupla times, but it is only in this posture that I get a sense of tremendous contentment and emotional relief , something which I couldn’t find even in the half camel or rabbit.
I can already do the backward bend, so is my next goal to touch my heels with my hands [if so, what’s the grip like?] or is it to touch my head to my toes?
Thank you Gabrielle!
I have tried what you said today for the first time and I felt, as you said, a bit scared, but at the same time I am finally excited about this pose again! I feel I’ve got a new game to play! I am starting my journey in search of my toes :lol:…of course I didn’t see any today, but I’m sure I will because I know what to do now!Also: good question Meissa! I was really curious about the next stage too!!
Hi Martina and Meissa
* It is always much easier to work on a tangible goal to know when to proceed into full camel than it is to be told that ‘you are ready for full camel’. So here are some steps for you:
* First step is to keep the hands in prayer position until you see your toes.
* Next, when you see your toes, you bring your hands out of prayer and place them palms facing forward in front of each shoulder.
* Continue to deepen your backbend.
* The more flexible you are the closer you can get your hands and head to your heels.
* When you are in the pose you will then focus on bringing your arms in parallel to each other. Let them land where they land as you familiarize yourself with the pose.For those proud owners of Hot Yoga MasterClass you can see photos and the full description on page 253. :cheese:
VIP Members see extra photos in the Pose Gallery (some of which are unique to the VIP forum).
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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