Slow Backbend Kiss Assist
Quick Intro
Slow Backbend Kiss Assist uses camel pose, a kneeling backbend that arches the spine back toward the heels. One partner begins arching back slowly into the pose, supported by a hand on their lower back, while the other leans in to meet their lips for a brief kiss at the point of deepest comfortable extension before guiding them back to upright.
Ustrasana covers the pose’s full technique on its own.
What You’ll Need
No equipment.
How to Do It Together
- Get into position. One partner kneels, beginning the camel pose backbend. The other stands or kneels facing them, close enough to meet them at full extension.
- Arch slowly. The kneeling partner arches back slowly, supported by the assisting partner’s hand on their lower back.
- Meet at the peak. At the point of deepest comfortable extension, the assisting partner leans in to meet their lips for a brief kiss.
- Rise and switch. Guide the kneeling partner back to upright slowly, then switch roles.
Exhale into the backbend, inhale rising back to upright.
Why the Kiss Is the Trigger Here
Camel Pose Assisted Backbend already covers a version of this pose where the assisting partner’s hand is purely a catch for balance, there in case something goes wrong but otherwise not the point of the exercise at all. This one works differently. The kiss itself is the trigger the whole movement is built around, landing specifically at the deepest point of the arch as a planned part of the sequence.
That changes what success looks like for this exercise. In the other version the assisting hand is only there in case something goes wrong. Here the kiss is planned. It lands at the point of deepest comfortable extension, and it is brief, so the arching partner is held at the deepest point for no longer than the kiss takes. The assisting partner leans in to meet them, and the arching partner does not reach for the kiss.
Depth is not the goal, even with a kiss involved. A shallow, well-supported arch that lets the kiss land safely beats a deep, unsupported one where the kneeling partner is overreaching. The supporting hand on the lower back still matters just as much here as it does in the pure-safety version, it’s simply joined by a second thing happening at the same time.
If You’re at Different Fitness Levels
A couple with tighter backs or necks can use bridge pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) in place of camel pose for a gentler backbend, with the same assisted-kiss structure. Since this exercise is inherently assisted, any gap in flexibility between you simply shows up in which backbend version each partner uses.
Safety and Consent
Never push a partner into deeper extension than they signal is comfortable. Keep a supporting hand on the lower back throughout. Anyone with existing back or neck concerns should use the bridge pose variant instead.
Every connection moment in these exercises is something either partner can skip or scale back at any point, including this one, no explanation needed. A supported camel pose with no kiss is the same backbend without the closing gesture.
FAQ
Where does the assisting partner stay? Facing the kneeling partner, standing or kneeling close enough to meet them at full extension, with a hand supporting the lower back throughout.
What separates this from the other assisted backbend version? Camel Pose Assisted Backbend uses the supporting hand purely as a safety catch, with nothing else layered on top. This exercise adds a kiss that lands at the peak of the arch as the actual trigger of the exercise.
Does the supporting hand still matter if a kiss is involved? Yes, just as much. The hand on the lower back is still there for balance and confidence through the whole movement, and the kiss is simply something that happens alongside it.
What if the backbend doesn’t feel deep enough for a kiss to land naturally? Adjust the kneeling partner’s position or the assisting partner’s reach, without pushing for more depth. A shallow, well-supported arch that lets the kiss land safely is the actual goal here.
What if either of us has back or neck concerns? Use bridge pose instead of camel pose. The same assisted-kiss structure carries over to that gentler backbend.
Should both partners take a turn being the one who’s kissed through the backbend? Yes. Trading roles within the same session is how the full exercise is meant to be used.
Can we just do camel pose without the kiss? Yes. Ustrasana alone is the identical backbend, with no kiss trigger added.
Built on Ustrasana. Camel Pose Assisted Backbend keeps the supporting hand as a pure safety catch instead of adding a kiss at the peak of the arch.