(sha-la-BAHS-anna)
salabha = grasshopper, locust
Locust Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions
- For this pose you
might want to pad the floor below your pelvis and ribs with a folded blanket.
Lie on your belly with your arms along the sides of your torso, palms up,
forehead resting on the floor. Turn your big toes toward each other to inwardly
rotate your thighs, and firm your buttocks so your coccyx presses toward your
pubis.
- Exhale and lift your head, upper torso, arms, and legs away from the floor. You’ll be resting on your lower ribs, belly, and front pelvis. Firm your buttocks and reach strongly through your legs, first through the heels to lengthen the back legs, then through the bases of the big toes. Keep the big toes turned toward each other.
- Raise your arms parallel to the floor and stretch back actively through your fingertips. Imagine there’s a weight pressing down on the backs of the upper arms, and push up toward the ceiling against this resistance. Press your scapulas firmly into your back.
- Gaze forward or slightly upward, being careful not to jut your chin forward and crunch the back of your neck. Keep the base of the skull lifted and the back of the neck long.
- Stay for 30 seconds to
1 minute, then release with an exhalation. Take a few breaths and repeat 1 or 2
times more if you like.
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Pose Information |
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Sanskrit Name |
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Salabhasana |
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Pose Level |
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Contraindications and Cautions |
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Modifications and Props |
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Beginners sometimes have difficulty holding this pose. You can
support the area around your lower sternum with a rolled-up blanket to help
maintain the lift of your upper torso. Similarly you can support the front of
your thighs with a blanket roll to help support the lift of your legs. |
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Deepen the Pose |
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Advanced students can challenge themselves a bit more with a
variation of Salabhasana. Instead of stretching the legs straight back from
the pelvis, bend the knees and position the shins perpendicular to the floor.
Then, as you lift the upper torso, head and arms, lift the knees as far away
from the floor as possible. |
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Theraputic Applications |
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Preparatory Poses |
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Follow-up Poses |
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Salabhasana is a good preparation for all of the “baby” back
bends, including Dhanurasana and Ustrasana. Other possible follow-ups
include:
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Beginner's Tip |
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Beginners sometimes have difficulty sustaining the lift of the
torso and legs in this pose. Begin the pose with your hands resting on the
floor, a little bit back from the shoulders, closer to your waist. Inhale and
gently push your hands against the floor to help lift the upper torso. Then
keep the hands in place as you do the pose, or after a few breaths, once
you’ve established the lift of the chest, swing them back into the position
described above in step 3. As for the legs, you can do the pose with the legs
lifted alternately off the floor. For example, if you want to hold the pose
for a total of 1 minute, first lift the right leg off the floor for 30
seconds, then the left leg for 30 seconds. |
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Benefits |
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Partnering |
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A partner can help you get a feel for the work in the back of
the upper arms. Have your partner stand straddling your torso while you
perform the pose. He should then lean forward and press his hands firmly
against the backs of your upper arms (triceps). You then push up against this
resistance. The partner might also, as he’s pressing down on the upper arms,
draw the skin away from the shoulders, toward your wrists. |
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Variations |
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A challenging variation of Salabhasana is called Makarasana (mah-KAH-rah =
often translated as "crocodile" or "dolphin," but
literally "sea monster"). The legs are raised in this pose exactly
as in Salabhasana, but the fingers are clasped and then the palms are pressed
against the back of the head, with the index fingers hooked up underneath the
base of the skull. With the upper torso lifted, open the arms out to your
sides. |