Locust pose (Shalabhasana B)

Muscles

• Spinalis thoracis
• Longissimus thoracis
• Iliocostalis
• Gluteus maximus
• Semitendinosus
• Semimembranosus
• Biceps femoris (long)

Technique

1. Lying on your belly (prone position), place the hands with palms facing upward alongside the hips-thighs.
2. With the tops of the feet down and legs extended, reach out through the toes to activate the legs.
3. Lift the legs and chest off the floor and gaze forward or down toward the tip of the nose.
4. Press gently into the tops of the hands and reach back through the fingertips.

Form tips

1. Think of lengthening the legs more than lifting.
2. Engage the glutes and hamstrings to lift the legs from the hip, so that the upper legs lift off the floor if possible.
3. Only lift the chest as high as the reach in the legs allows.
4. If you feel pinching or hinging in the lower back, lower the legs and reset, emphasizing the reach back more than the lift up.
5. Engage the upper back to lift the chest to about the same height as the feet.
6. Keep the shoulders in a neutral position - do not squeeze the shoulder blades together.

Similar Exercises

• Bridge Pose
• Bridge pose with legs half extended
• Glute bridge
• Supine arch body hold
• Bridge

Equipment

• Ground (hands or body)