Locust Pose: Salabhasana
Purposes and Benefits:
- Includes all benefits of Cobra pose (#16)
- Encourages concentration and perseverance
- Targets upper back
- Helps cure spinal problems including slipped discs, sciatica, and gout
- Cures tennis elbow
- Boosts circulation
- Increases flexibility and tone in spinal muscles
- Firms hips, buttocks, and legs
- Invigorates arm and back muscles
- Strengthens shoulders, pectorals, elbows, wrists, and spine
- Builds core strength
(NOTE: This pose has 2 How to Dos: the first explains doing the pose with 1 leg only, and the second explanation involves both legs.)
How to Do (with 1 leg):
- Lie on belly with chin forward on towel
- Lift hips, turn arms in, and pin arms underneath body
- Move arms underneath body by lifting one hip at a time and rolling to one side
- Keep palms flatly on floor, spread fingers, and point fingers toward knees
- Relax and keep body firm and steady
- Without lifting hips, raise right leg straight up to 45-degrees, and keep left leg relaxed on floor
- Maintain tightened muscles in right leg, point toes, and lock knee
- Touch hipbones to forearms and ensure right hip is not twisting out
- Keep stretching right leg back and hold pose for 10 seconds
- Repeat with left leg
How to do (with both legs):
- Protect neck by tilting head down, tucking chin in, and keeping mouth on towel
- Keep arms underneath body
- Straighten legs, point toes, and lock knees
- Lift legs up away from floor, breathe through nose, and hold pose for 10 seconds
- Strive to lift legs and hips away from floor all the way to belly button
- Use every ounce of strength in legs and abdomen
- Lower both legs without collapsing
- Turn to one side
