Half Camel Pose
अर्ध उष्ट्रासन
Ardha Uṣṭrāsana — a beginner backbend that works the hip flexors, chest, spinal erectors.
How to do Half Camel Pose
Read all of it before starting, and read the cautions further down before starting at all.
Kneel with the knees hip-width apart and the shins padded by a folded blanket.
Rest both hands on the back of the pelvis, fingers pointing towards the floor.
Press the hips gently forward and lift the ribs away from the waist.
Lean the upper back over the hands into a small arch, keeping the head in line with the spine.
Hold for a few smooth breaths, then rise by leading with the sternum.
Hold: 20–40 seconds. Keep the breath moving throughout — if you are holding it, the pose is too much for today.
Muscles worked
Where the effort and the lengthening land. Primary groups do most of the work; secondary groups assist or are stretched.
What Half Camel Pose does
Described mechanically — what the movement does to muscle and joint. Not a list of conditions it treats, because a pose does not treat conditions.
- Gives the mechanics of Camel with the arms supporting the lower back the whole time.
- Opens the front of the hips with the pelvis driven forward over the knees.
- Extends the upper spine in a range most beginners can control.
Half Camel Pose is one of 43 backbends in this library and one of 88 poses rated beginner. Poses that extend the spine and open the front of the body — chest, hip flexors and abdomen.
Who should skip Half Camel Pose, or change it
- Knee injury — always pad the shins, or take the shape standing instead.
- Disc injury: keep the arch minimal and stop at the first pinch.
- Neck injury — keep the gaze forward and the chin level.
- High blood pressure with long held chest-open positions.
- Ankle discomfort with the tops of the feet flat — tuck the toes under instead.
General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts. If you are pregnant, recovering from surgery or managing any health condition, ask your doctor before starting a practice, and learn the pose itself from a qualified teacher who can see you move.
Common mistakes in Half Camel Pose
What tends to go wrong, and the specific correction — not "engage your core".
MistakePushing the belly forward while the chest stays where it was.
FixLift the breastbone first; the hips move forward, the ribs move up.
MistakeThe bend showing up as a single crease above the belt line.
FixSlide the hands slightly higher onto the back and let the arch open through the ribs instead.
What a practice like this costs in energy
Nobody has measured a single asana in a metabolic cart. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values per style of practice, so Half Camel Pose is mapped to the nearest published code — 02150, yoga, Hatha, 2.5 MET — and the figures below are for a practice of that kind, not for holding this one pose.
| Time practising | 10 min | 20 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 31 | 61 | 92 | 138 | 184 |
Calculated as MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 kcal per minute — the standard ACSM relationship, shown in full on the method page. Scale it to your own weight by multiplying by your weight in kilograms and dividing by 70. The whole activity dataset, including every non-yoga activity, is at BurnLab.
Questions
How do you do Half Camel Pose?
Kneel with the knees hip-width apart and the shins padded by a folded blanket. Rest both hands on the back of the pelvis, fingers pointing towards the floor. Press the hips gently forward and lift the ribs away from the waist. Lean the upper back over the hands into a small arch, keeping the head in line with the spine. Hold for a few smooth breaths, then rise by leading with the sternum. Hold for 20–40 seconds.
What does Half Camel Pose work?
Primarily the hip flexors, chest, spinal erectors, with the quadriceps, shoulders, abdominals assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: gives the mechanics of Camel with the arms supporting the lower back the whole time.
Who should not do Half Camel Pose?
Knee injury — always pad the shins, or take the shape standing instead. Disc injury: keep the arch minimal and stop at the first pinch. Neck injury — keep the gaze forward and the chin level. High blood pressure with long held chest-open positions. Ankle discomfort with the tops of the feet flat — tuck the toes under instead. This is general information, not medical advice — if any of these apply to you, ask your doctor and learn the pose with a qualified teacher rather than from a page.
Is Half Camel Pose suitable for beginners?
Yes. Half Camel Pose is a beginner-level pose on this site, which means it is learnable in a first class and has a version that works for most bodies. The cautions above still apply.
How many calories does Half Camel Pose burn?
The honest answer is that nobody has measured a single asana. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values for styles of yoga, not for individual poses. Half Camel Pose sits closest to Compendium code 02150, yoga, Hatha, at 2.5 MET — about 92 kcal for 30 minutes of that kind of practice for a 70 kg adult. Holding one pose for a minute is a rounding error either way.
Related poses
More backbends — first at the same level, then the rest of the family.
Asana names are traditional. Every step, benefit and caution on this page is written for YogaPath rather than reproduced from any book, studio or other library — see how this site is written. Energy figures derive from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. General information only — not medical advice. Some asanas are unsuitable during pregnancy, injury or specific conditions. Learn from a qualified teacher and stop if anything hurts.