Learn Locust Pose Yoga

The locust pose in yoga, known as salabhasana in Sanskrit,  helps strengthen the lower back, and abdominal area. It also helps develop a natural arch in your back.

For women, it's great for releasing premenstrual tension. And it can help tone the legs, buttocks and abdomen (Khalsa).

Locust pose in yoga may be too much of a strain for some people's lower backs. If it is, its not going to deliver the value it should. But it can be adapted so that the benefits are obtained, whilst still developing the ability to do that pose, and heal the body.

One tip to remember, or try and feel, no matter whether you are doing the classical locust pose in yoga or one of the variations, is to have a sense of stretching forward through the crown of your head, and back through the tops of the toes. Almost like there is an invisible string pulling you out and up.

It is important to keep your breath, and hence your mental focus, within your body whilst doing a yoga pose. This is just as true when the body is still as when it is moving.

How To Do The Classical Yoga Locust Pose

There are two ways of doing this pose. The first is illustrated, though it is not strictly the classical locust pose but a slight variation with an extra step built in. But it will get you to the same place, the same end posture. And its a good way of starting with the pose if you haven't done it before.

In step one, start with your forehead on the floor, with your palms face down beside your body, and your toes pointed back. Breathe slowly to center yourself and help focus your mind.

In the next, intermediary step, keep your upper body in place and on the inhale, raise your legs.

Step 3: Exhale whilst holding your legs there, and on the next inhale, raise your upper body as well. Try to keep your arms as close to your body as possible. You can lower your whole body on the exhale, and repeat. Or you can hold the posture and breathe into the locust pose, elongating both your upper and lower body whilst keeping your legs and torso as high as possible. Lower after 6 breaths, or sooner if that is too much of a strain.

The classical locust pose in yoga does away with step two. From step one, on the inhale you would raise both your legs and your torso, to arrive at step three straight away.

Its important not to overstrain yourself. If you are new to yoga, or trying the above is too much of a strain, then try one of the locust pose variations and practice that for a while.

These are several variations of the locust pose. These are taken from Desikachar's Heart Of Yoga:

Yoga Locust Pose for Beginners

- and those with very stiff backs, particularly in the lower back area

In the first variation, keep the legs initially on the floor. Place your hands at a 90 degree angle at the base of your ribs.  Lift up the chest but keep your hands firmly on the ground. Look in a mirror if it helps.

Next, lift your torso gently. It will help to squeeze your pelvic floor muscles, and your buttocks, to stabilize your lower back. Remember, though, to keep your hands in place as above.

Then as you inhale, lift up one leg. Exhale as you move that leg back to the ground. Stay in the adapted locust position (with upper body, hands, etc), and on the next inhale, raise the other leg. Exhale and lower to the ground.

This adapted posture still develops a stretching arch in the upper back.

Locust Pose Yoga Variation Number Two

This variation will deepen the stretch into the lower back and abdominal area, as well as working the upper back and chest.

Lie on your stomach as with the beginning of the classical locust pose. Take a few moments to slow your breathing and focus within your body. If you are not familiar with tightening your pelvic floor muscles, and your buttocks (which is like an internal squeeze), then its a good idea to do this consciously first, at this stage. It will not only help strengthen your lower back, but really help you maintain a nice arch and stretch in your back. Keep the pelvic floor contracted throughout the active part of the exercise, though you can definitely relax it between repetitions.

Have your arms inner part, where there is no hair usually growing, facing, and touching, the floor. They will be turned down in the same linear direction as your hands, the palms of which will be on the floor. Inhale, squeeze the pelvic floor and buttocks if you aren't already, and on the exhale raise both legs and the chest. Make sure you keep the palms on the floor, and your shoulders rolled back so that your upper chest is open, not caved in. You will need to be anchoring the movement in your abdomen, pelvic floor and lower back to do this.

On the exhale, gently move back down to the floor and relax.

Try and keep, or move your legs together, instead of having them wide apart. But don't overstrain yourself either! This will make the pose more intense but it is also the way it should be done. But like all yoga poses, breathe into the areas of resistance and build up to the more difficult ways of doing it. Even if they are 'technically' more correct, never lose sight of the fact that you need to work from where your body is in that moment.

Locust Pose Yoga Variation Number Three

In this variation, have the body in the same start position as above, with the arms both behind you, palms facing down. We are actually going to be raising one leg and the opposite arm simultaneously. So once you are in the basic position, put one arm stretching forward beside your ear, and the opposite arm remaining where it was.

We will raise the outstretched arm and the opposite leg on the inhale. So exhale, and prepare your pelvic floor and squeeze your buttocks. In an elongated forward and upward movement, inhale and raise the outstretched arm and the opposite leg, keeping the other two on the floor. Really try to keep the raised leg and arm in line with your body. They may seem to veer out! Exhale and lower, then repeat on the opposite sides.

This really helps to balance and strengthen both sides of the body.

Locust Pose Yoga Variation Number Four

This pose really makes the posture, salabhasana,  more intense in the lower and upper back. It also helps to integrate the neck and shoulder muscles with the back. But it should not be practised until the back is more flexible and able to arch enough, and comfortably. If not, practice one of the other variations.

A little bit done regularly will do more for strengthening your body and increasing your ability to integrate a posture than overdoing it in positions you don't have the strength to hold without undue strain. You will know when there is sufficient arch in your back when you are able to open your chest out and up, and have your shoulders rolled back comfortably, and it is not painful or difficult to hold. When the breathing becomes ragged, this is a sure sign you are overdoing it.

Start at the basic pose lying down, but this time have your arms outstretched to the side, at right angles to your body. You will be raising the upper body in this position whilst raising one leg. This will be done on the inhale as the other variations were. Feel your chest open, and the stretch both elongated through your crown and toes, and also out through the fingertips, on the axis that your arms make. As you exhale, return to the floor.

Another option of working with the locust pose, both in the classical asana and the variations, is to hold the position once you have raised the parts of the body particular to each variation, and breathe deeply into that. This will really help strengthen the abdomen. Be sure not to let your chest cave in whilst doing this, as you lose the stretch then and its better not to push it.

Another Locust Pose Yoga Variation for beginners

(from Khalsa)

Lying on the floor on the front of your body, have your chin on the ground. Hold your hands in fists and put them inside the pelvic bone, where the pelvis and legs meet. This is great if you're not used to using your pelvic floor muscles and the inner muscles of your buttocks. It will really help strengthen you internally here.

So, on the inhale, raise both of the legs straight and as high as you are able. Even if this is only a few centimeters off the ground, that's fine! You could also try just raising one leg at a time to build up strength. Hold the raised leg for at least 15 seconds as you breathe into areas of stiffness. Then lower your legs and relax your body. You can turn your head to one side at this stage.

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