Salabhasana (Locust Pose)

by Yogi Ananda Viraj (Eugene P. Kelly, Jr.)

The word salabha means grasshopper or locust. The salabhasana is therefore called the locust posture. This asana does resemble the body of the locust.

Instructions:

1. Begin by lying on your stomach, head turned to the right, arms at sides, palms down on the floor.
2. Place your chin on the floor, feet together, and palms flat on the floor at sides. Exhale.
3. Inhaling, raise your head, shoulders, chest and stomach area up off the floor, keeping your hips on the floor.
4. Hold as long as you can hold the inhalation comfortably.
5. Exhaling, return to the starting position, head turned to the opposite side and relax for 30 seconds.
6. Again, place your chin on the floor, feet together, and palms down. Exhale.
7. Inhaling, raising the legs up off the floor while keeping them straight. Hold as long as you can hold the inhalation comfortably.
8. Exhaling, return to the starting position, head turned to the opposite side. Relax for about 30 seconds.
9. Once again, chin on floor, feet together, palms down. Exhale.
10. Inhaling, raise both the upper body and legs (keeping them straight) off the floor balancing the body on the hips and hands. Hold as long as you can hold the inhalation.
11. Exhaling, return to the starting position, head, once again, turned to the opposite side. Relax and repeat all three stages again.

Variations:

The salabhasana is obviously no easy position. However, the benefits are great. To make the posture a bit easier you can place your hands under your thighs palms up, instead of palms down on the floor. In so doing you can use your hands to help you balance and push your legs up.

Once you gain a degree of skill in the salabhasana you can move to the more demanding variations. First, you may omit the first two steps, i.e. the upper body raise and the leg raise, and focus exclusively on the last step, the simultaneous raising of upper body and legs. While in this position you can, rather than hold the inhalation, breathe normally. This will allow you to hold the position longer. Another variation is done with extended arms. Instead of placing the arms at your sides extend the arms straight out in front in line with the rest of the body. Then do the simultaneous raising of body no legs.

Benefits:

The movements involved in the salabhasana are not difficult in that they do not require tremendous flexibility. But, they do require strength. Given this the salabhasana is one of the best postures for cultivating strength. The abdominal muscles along ·with the spinal column muscles are given a real workout. This adds firmness as well as flexibility to both. People suffering from disc problems may be greatly aided by the posture.

Aside from the benefits to the many muscles that the movement of the salabhasana works, there is an added benefit to the lungs. While holding the breath in this position the lungs “learn” the poise of holding breath, a requirement of the yogic breathing techniques you may desire to learn later in yoga training.