Camatkarasana pose, also known as “wild thing”, is an enormous help with heart-opening. This pose is also referred to as “flipping the dog” and you’ll see why later. It is a fun, playful transition usually from downward-facing dog into a one-arm backbend.

The pose is inspirational in that it comes from a place that’s unwilling to be tamed or to conform. Like its name, Wild Thing is an expression of freedom, creativity, authenticity, and purpose. Beneath the pose’s rapturous movement is a strong, stable base that relies on both arms for lift and balance.

Camatkarasana, is a pose I can’t seem to get enough of. It is an exuberant celebration and representation of the dynamic ways our body can move. It opens the heart up toward the sky, allowing us to tap into the energy of compassion, empathy, and love. It is both an arm balance and a backbend focused on the shoulders, throat, quadriceps, and core. It also combats mild depression and fatigue. I encourage you to enter into this asana with grace, playfulness, and deep breaths.

Camatkarasana: Wild Thing Pose

The Camatkarasana yoga sequence is a great way to prepare your arms to support the full weight of your body while opening the front of your legs, hips, and torso. It encourages heat to build in your chest and the heart to melt.

You can begin this pose from downward facing dog or from side plank. We’ll describe it from downward-facing dog keeping the right arm and foot firmly grounded on the mat throughout the movement:

Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog).
Bring your weight into your right hand and roll onto the outer edge of your right foot like Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose).
On an inhalation, lift your hips with buoyancy. Stay strong in your right hand making a clawing action with the fingers. Keep the head of the right arm bone back. On an exhalations, step your left foot back and place your toes on the floor with your knee partially bent.
Curl back through your upper back to create a sweeping action of the shoulder blades into the back of the rib cage.
On an inhalation lift your hips higher until you curl more into a backbend with your right foot solid on the ground.
Keep breathing and curl your head back, extending your left arm from your heart and expressing your power and freedom.
Hold for 5-10 breaths breaths, return to Down Dog and repeat on the other side.

Benefits of Camatkarasana (Wild Thing Pose)

Wild Thing Pose is a fun and invigorating pose with many benefits:

Stretches the chest, shoulders and throat
Opens the hips and hip flexors
Stretches and strengthens the back
Energizes the body and mind

Benefits of Camatkarasana (Wild Thing Pose) To Body

The Camatkarasana opens up the shoulderss, lungs, and chest.
It also opens the hip flexors and the front of the legs.
It builds strength in the upper back and shoulders.
Along with the benefit to body parts it also helps improve the circulation of blood to the organs.

The researchers found that yoga outperformed aerobic and other forms of exercise at improving balance, flexibility, strength, pain levels among seniors, menopausal symptoms, daily energy level, and social and occupation functioning, among other health parameters.

Learn about all the Yoga Asanas (Poses) from basic poses, advanced poses, seated and standing poses, twists and bandha with Contraindications and Benefits.

If you are serious about your health and do not want to pay heavy medical bills to doctors then do practice these Yoga asanas (postures) and stay healthy.