Locust Pose (Salabhasana)

Pronunciation and meaning

Salabhasana: shah-lah-BAHS-uh-nuh. It is often written Shalabhasana, and the stress falls on BAHS.

Salabha means locust and asana means posture. Lying on the belly, you lift the chest, arms and legs off the floor together, so the body looks like an insect resting with its wings back.

How to do Locust Pose

1. Lie on your belly with your forehead on the mat, legs hip-width apart, tops of the feet down, and arms alongside you with the palms facing down.
2. Press the tops of the feet and the pubic bone gently into the floor, and lengthen the legs back.
3. Inhale and lift your head, chest and arms off the floor, keeping the back of the neck long and the gaze on the floor just ahead.
4. If that feels good, lift the legs as well, keeping the knees straight and the legs no wider than the hips.
5. Stay for three to five breaths, breathing into the back of the ribs. Keep the lift moderate rather than straining for height.
6. Exhale and lower slowly. Turn one cheek to the mat and rest for a few breaths, then repeat once or twice.

Make it easier

• Lift only the chest and keep the legs on the floor, or lift one leg at a time.
• Keep the hands under the shoulders lightly on the floor to guide the lift.
• Place a folded blanket under the hips if lying on the belly is uncomfortable.

Pregnancy and after birth

Pregnancy. Avoid. Locust puts your weight on the belly. A gentle back strengthener on hands and knees, such as lifting one arm and the opposite leg, is a better choice. Check with your OB or midwife.

After birth. Adapt. Once your doctor or midwife has cleared you and lying on the belly is comfortable, begin with the chest lift only. After a caesarean birth, wait until the scar is comfortable under pressure.

For more on practising through pregnancy, see Joahnna Lee Yoga.

Common mistakes

• Throwing the head back and shortening the back of the neck.
• Squeezing the bottom hard and pinching the lower back to lift higher.
• Holding the breath as you lift.

Locust Pose is a quiet, belly-down backbend that builds strength along the back of the body. It usually comes after Cobra and before Bow in a class, and it is one of the simplest ways to work the back without any flexibility.

Many people with desk jobs find it a useful counter to long hours of rounding forward. Keep it low and steady. Small locust lifts also appear among the yoga based core exercises with reps.

Where does locust pose fit in a practice?

It sits naturally between Sphinx Pose, the forearm backbend, and Cobra Pose, and it prepares the back for deeper shapes. Swimming locust and a bent arm version are part of the gentle back exercises for a stronger spine. Finish with Child’s Pose for a gentle rest.

Who might enjoy it?

Anyone working on posture. It appears in yoga for bad posture and pairs well with the upper body work in the shoulder stretches routine, while locust arm circles feature in the shoulder exercises from yoga. If you have back pain, keep the lift small and see a doctor or physio if it gets worse.