Lower back, upper back, neck, hips and knees
Camel: Hands on Lower Back
The most accessible camel: hands on your lower back support and guide the extension, providing gentle anterior chain opening at a manageable depth.
How to do it
- 1
Kneel with the hips stacked over the knees
Knees about hip width, with a folded blanket under them so this is kinder to hold. This is the most accessible version of the pose, so there is no reaching to the floor at all.
- 2
Place both hands flat on your lower back
Fingers point down, elbows draw towards each other. The hands stay there for the whole pose and give the lower back something firm to work against.
- 3
Lift the chest and open the upper back
Press gently into the hands, lift up through the breastbone and let the shape spread across the collarbones. Depth is not the aim here; a small amount is plenty.
- 4
Hold 20 to 45 seconds, then lift up gently
Keep the gaze forward, or the chin lightly towards the chest, if taking the head back is uncomfortable.
What to watch for
Pushing the hips backwards as the chest lifts, which folds the whole movement into one point in the lower back. Keep the hips stacked over the knees, and go up before you go back.
Ways to adjust it
- Half Camel
- Chair back
- Chin to chest
- Gaze forward
- Blanket under knees
Other ways to do this movement
Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Camel Pose versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.
Before you try it
Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.
One movement is a start. A session is the thing.
A few questions about your body and how it is today, and Vinys builds a session around it, including which movements to leave out.
Start your first sessionFrom the clinically authored Vinys movement library.