I saw a shirt an instructor wore that read, I’ve got 99 problems and camel isn’t one of them. Yogis may have a love/hate relationship with the Camel posture–somedays you ease into this kneeling-style backbend and gently come out of it feeling fantastic, other days you are in it and emerge feeling dizzy, nauseous, and with all sorts of “funky” feelings going on, stirring up emotions some happy, some sad. It opens up your chest and heart inviting energy flow, at the same time vulnerability. We tend to hunch over, whether in a car or at a desk, “protecting” the heart’s center. Camel pose invites openness and by relaxing into it and breathing during, you can turn those feelings into happy ones. While practicing, think about how the posture is improving so many internal and external body/mind functions. Below explains a little bit more about the posture and why you may want to turn it into a posture that you love:

Ustrasana – Camel Pose

*Camel Pose creates maximum compression of the spine, which stimulates the nervous system. It also improves flexibility of the neck and spine, relieves backache, and helps degenerative spinal problems such as kyphoscoliotic deformities and cervical spondylosis. By stretching the abdominal organs, Camel helps constipation, and it also stretches the throat and thyroid and parathyroid glands.

*Source BikramYoga.com

Some other benefits include:

Relieves back problems while strengthening back and shoulder muscles
Opens rib cage, lungs, and digestive system
Stimulates the nervous system
Great for the lungs and helps relieve many bronchial problems
Improves flexion of the neck
Stretches the throat
Flushes blood through the kidneys