Learn how to stretch your back and strengthen your core muscles with these simple steps to get into the locust pose.
The locust is a fascinating insect. Mostly, it’s a solitary creature – pretty much keeping itself to itself – but when the conditions are right (or wrong, if you’re a farmer who has devoted months of toil and sweat to crops that are about to be devoured), they get together and become a powerful unit. And they’re a dramatic reminder of what can be achieved when communities and individuals unite and take action.
The locust pose in yoga – salabhasana in Sanskrit – is a dynamic backbend that strengthens the back, buttocks, and legs. It also stretches the spine, opens the chest and heart, and stimulates the stomach region. Be gentle on your back as you ease into the pose and progress slowly as you continue with the posture.
Here’s how to get into the pose:
- Begin by lying flat on your stomach (you might wish to have a folded blanket placed under the hips for comfort) with your forehead gently resting on the ground. Your arms are alongside your body, palms and soles of the feet facing upwards. Take a few breaths here to calm, centre, and focus your being.
- Shifting the weight of your torso forward, roll the shoulder blades up and back, lift your head, but keep looking towards the ground, and open up your chest area. Extend your legs backwards through the soles of your feet. Keep your hips, stomach, and legs pressed towards the ground.
- Breathing in, engage the muscles in your legs and buttocks region. Now extend the legs backwards, raising them off the ground to a comfortable height, while continuing to extend backwards and upwards through your feet.
- When ready, raise your extended arms – palms facing up – to a comfortable height off the ground, extending the fingertips towards the feet. The shoulder blades are lifted and rolled back, as if you’re unfurling and opening wings backwards, with your chest opening away from the ground.
- Keep your gaze forward, with your chin lowered and the back of your neck long and relaxed.
- Take a few comfortable breaths here, then lower back to the ground, lay your head to one side
and breathe for a moment. Then come to all fours and sit back into child pose. - Rest and breathe for a moment. Observe any sensations in your body.
Top tip: A variation of Salabhasana that you might like to explore is to place both palms facing down under the pelvic region, pressing into the ground, then raise your legs. Engaging the arms in this way provides added leverage and support as you raise the legs off the ground.
As with all physical activities, please do not attempt the posture if you have any medical or physical conditions that might be aggravated. If in any doubt, always talk to your doctor first. Younger children should be supervised.
Words: Dawattie Basdeo
