Locust Pose (Sanskrit: Śalabhāsana / शलभासन)
Salabhasana (Śalabhāsana) or Shalabhasana is a reclining backbend that appears to be a simple pose, but it is not so. Doing it correctly is quite a challenge as it requires a certain level of strength in our legs and flexibility in our spine. This asana prepares our body for deeper back bending poses like Matsyasna, Urdhva Dhanurasana, and Kapotasana. The asana has been named so (salabha means a locust in Sanskrit) because when we practice it, our body resembles a locust resting on the ground.
Instructions for Doing the Locust Pose
- Lie down on the floor on your stomach, facing downwards (rest your forehead on the floor). Keep your arms rested on the ground as well, along the sides of your torso. Your palms should face the ceiling. Maintain a constant tension in your arms by keeping them stretched throughout the asana.
- With an exhalation, lift your head off the floor along with your chest, arms, and legs. Try to lift them as high as possible. Your entire rib cage should be lifted off the floor. The weight of your body should be borne by your abdominal area alone. Keep your arms parallel to the floor in line with your body and point your toes towards each other.
- Contract your glutes and stretch your thighs, keeping both your legs fully extended. Your thighs, knees, and ankles should slightly touch each other.
- Hold this position for as long as it’s comfortable for you, breathing normally, without any jerks.
- Release the pose with an exhalation. Bring your head, legs, and arms back to the floor. Rest for a couple of minutes and then repeat the pose 1-2 times more.
- Initially, it will be difficult to lift your body off the floor to hold the final position, but as your abdominal muscles grow stronger, you’ll be able to practice the asana easily and comfortably.
Benefits of Doing the Salabhasana
- Salabhasana is a great pose for making your digestive system stronger. It helps you relieve gastric problems like flatulence, indigestion, and constipation.
- Your spine becomes stronger and more flexible by regularly practicing this asana.
- This asana also helps you fight chronic fatigue syndrome as it gives you a boost of energy and vitality.
- It strengthens your spine, glutes, thighs, back of your arms, chest, shoulders, and abdominal area.
- The Locust Pose also helps you correct your posture.
Precautions
- Do not practice this pose if you have a headache or a serious back injury.
- People with neck or rib injuries should also avoid this asana completely.
- If you have any kind of a heart ailment, hernia, or peptic ulcers, then also you can skip this pose.
- Pregnant women should not attempt this asana, either.