Rite 3: Camel
Open the Heart, Strengthen the Spine
“When you lift from your center, your whole being rises.”
What is Rite 3?
Camel pose invites curiosity and courage. It counteracts the collapsed posture of protection and fatigue by lifting the chest and extending the spine. As you open the front body, especially the heart and throat, you create space for truth to rise and love to circulate.
This movement begins in a kneeling position.
On an inhale, you gently arch your spine, lift your chest, and allow your head to follow the upward wave.
On the exhale, you return to neutral.
It’s a subtle movement, but its effects ripple through your entire system.
Where Rite 2 builds core strength and breath rhythm, Rite 3 extends that energy upward:
Engaging the back body,
Lengthening the front body, and
Strengthening the channels/tissues around your heart, throat, and spine.
This Rite is about lifting without pushing, opening without collapsing, creating a recalibration of inner strength through conscious movement.
Symbolically, this posture is a gesture of devotion and surrender, offering the heart upward while staying rooted through the legs and pelvis. It reflects the courage to live with an open heart, even when life has taught you to guard it.
Why Rite 3 Matters
Nervous System
Cervical & thoracic extension activates spinal nerve pathways and brings awareness into often-neglected areas of the back body.
Vagus nerve stimulation through throat and neck stretch encourages parasympathetic tone and emotional regulation.
Regulated spinal movement supports nervous system balance between activation (lift) and rest (return).
Respiratory System
Chest Expansion: Lifting the sternum and opening the ribcage supports deeper inhalation and more complete breath cycles.
Upper Lung Activation: Encourages full use of the lungs, especially areas often underused in shallow breathing.
Diaphragmatic Support: Returning to center allows the diaphragm to rebound and reset.
Lymphatic + Glymphatic Systems
Stretches and mobilizes the neck, chest, and armpits — regions rich in superficial lymphatic vessels.
Thoracic Drainage: Chest and armpit opening stimulates lymph movement through the axillary and clavicular nodes.
Neck Movement: Gentle extension and return engage superficial cervical drainage and support fluid movement through the head and brain.
Circulatory System
Heart Space Flow: Mobilizing the rib cage and upper back enhances blood flow to the heart, brain, and lungs.
Postural Repatterning: Strengthening the back body decompresses the chest, supporting healthy circulation and upright posture.
Muscular & Skeletal Systems
Posterior Chain Strength: shoulders, glutes, hamstrings, spinal extensors.
Spinal Mobility: Improves thoracic and cervical extension while stabilizing the pelvis, balancing modern forward-collapsing habits.
Joint Awareness: Strengthens support through knees, hips, and shoulders in an upright posture.
Fascia
Front Body Lengthening: Stretches the superficial front fascial line, from the thighs through the belly, chest, and throat.
Back Body Engagement: Strengthens the fascial tissues that hold you upright, countering modern postural collapse.
Energetic Bridge: This fascial wave helps reestablish heart-to-head communication and full-body alignment.
Endocrine & Reproductive Systems
Thyroid & Parathyroid Support: Gentle neck opening promotes circulation to the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
Thymus Activation: Located behind the sternum, the thymus is subtly stimulated, linked to immune and energetic vitality.
Pelvic Stability: Grounded kneeling reinforces connection to lower energy centers while the spine extends upward.
This Rite teaches the art of rising without armor, expanding without disconnecting from the ground beneath you.
How-To
Begin in a kneeling position, knees hip-width apart, tops of feet flat on the ground.
Place your hands on the back of your thighs, just below your glutes, where you can feel your hamstrings activate with each inhale.
Inhale as you lift your chest and heart upward, allowing a gentle curve through the upper spine.
Keep your core and glutes engaged to support your lower back.
Exhale as you return upright, drawing the chin slightly toward the chest to complete the wave.
Move with breath. Start with 3 repetitions and increase gradually to 21.
This Rite is a dynamic heart-opening pulse, not a deep backbend.
Pause + Ground
Let the heart initiate the movement, not the chin or low back.
Keep glutes and core gently engaged to protect and support your spine.
You should feel your hamstrings activate as you press your hips forward and lift the chest.
Focus on lifting the chest up and forward, not dropping back.
Keep the movement dynamic, not static. Each rep is a full breath-led cycle of lift and return.
Sit back on your heels or lie on your belly in stillness. Place one hand on your heart, one on your throat. Breathe gently. Feel what has been stirred, softened, or revealed.
Rite 3 Camel vs. Camel Pose: What’s the Difference?
While this movement may look similar to Camel Pose (Ustrasana), it’s actually very different in intention, structure, and execution.
Rite 3 is a dynamic spinal wave, not a static backbend. It emphasizes:
Core and glute engagement
Functional heart opening
Controlled spinal extension without collapsing the lumbar spine
Breath-led movement, not passive holding
This Rite builds postural strength and somatic awareness, rather than promoting hyperextension.
Why This Rite Is Foundational
This Rite is the emotional bridge in the sequence, connecting root strength and breath rhythm to open-hearted posture and energetic flow.
It trains you to stay open and lifted, not through force, but through presence.
It resets your body’s internal message from “guard” to “expand.”
Contraindications
Avoid or significantly modify this Rite if you have:
Knee injuries or chronic knee pain (kneeling may aggravate symptoms)
Spinal issues involving extension, such as spinal stenosis, herniated discs, or severe kyphosis
Neck instability or vertigo (cervical extension may trigger symptoms)
Shoulder injuries or frozen shoulder
Unregulated high blood pressure (head tipping back may increase pressure)
Modifications for Accessibility & Comfort
Cushion under the knees: Use a folded blanket, mat, or bolster to reduce pressure on the joints.
Hands at the lower back or sacrum: Instead of reaching for the thighs, place hands at the lower back to support the lift and prevent overextension.
Keep your head neutral: Skip the head drop and maintain a neutral chin position to protect your neck.
Reduce range of motion: Focus on lifting the chest with breath rather than deep bending. The movement can be subtle and still effective.
Seated variation: Sit cross-legged or on a chair. Inhale to gently lift the chest and arch the back, exhale to return upright.
Final Note:
The Heart Knows How to Lead
Let your body guide the depth. What matters most is your connection to breath, spine, and heart, not how far you lean back.
In a world that conditions us to protect, contract, and lead with the mind, Rite 3 invites a different intelligence: one that moves from the heart and lets the body follow.
Reflection Questions
What does it feel like to rise without force?
Where am I holding or guarding across the chest or belly?
Can I lead with presence instead of posture?
Practice It With Me
This Rite is part of my guided 5 Rites sequence, and also available as a 2-minute reset.
Let each lift be intentional. Let your breath create space.
Ready for the Next Rite?
As your spine strengthens and your heart lifts, energy begins to flow with rhythm.
Rite 4 channels that flow into motion, weaving energy through the shoulders, hips, and spine in a dynamic back-and-forth rhythm. This movement supports spinal flexibility, lymphatic drainage, and cross-body integration, particularly along the side of the body and the midline.
This Rite teaches flow without force, structure without rigidity, and movement as medicine.
👉 Explore Rite 4: Flow Through the Body, Free the Breath
Learn how this Rite mobilizes stagnant energy, supports detoxification, and invites clarity through rhythmic motion.
Rites Journey
Intro: The 5 Tibetan Rites
Rite 1: Spinning
Rite 2: Leg Raises
Rite 3: Camel
Rite 4: Tabletop
Rite 5: Up Dog to Down Dog
Anchoring the Five Rites: A Return to Rhythm
