Steps
- Lie on your belly, arms by your sides, palms down or in light fists.
- Reach the legs back. On an exhale, lift the chest and the legs only an inch or two.
- Keep the neck long. Look down.
- Lower with control. Rest. Repeat once if you like.
What this pose may help with
These lines describe why people practice the shape. A pose may help with ordinary stiffness or with settling your attention. They are not claims that the pose treats or cures a condition.
- Strengthens the back of the body.
- A counterpose after a lot of sitting or folding.
- Teaches you to lift without throwing the head back.
Common mistakes
- Lifting as high as possible and holding the breath.
- Crunching the neck.
- Hands pushing the floor so the shoulders hike up.
Modifications
- Lift only the chest, legs staying down.
- Or lift one leg at a time.
Practicing Locust Pose at home
Locust Pose, or Salabhasana, is a belly-down backbend that asks for steadiness more than height. Many people find it works best when you think of getting longer first, then lightly lifting. Reach your legs back as if they could slide away from you, keep the back of your neck long, and let your gaze stay down. If your breath gets choppy or your throat feels tight, come lower. This pose often feels like broad work across the back body, with the chest and legs hovering just a little rather than straining up.
A good home version is simple and small. You might place a folded blanket under your front hip bones if the floor feels hard, then lift on an exhale and lower with control. Notice if your shoulders creep toward your ears or if your hands start pushing so much that the upper body tenses. In this shape, less can be more. If there is a pinch in your lower back, the lift is too high. Try lifting only your chest, or one leg at a time, and see if the effort spreads more evenly through your back body.
This can fit nicely after a stretch of sitting, or after forward folds when you want a different shape. It’s working for you when the pose feels clear and contained, not dramatic, and when you can rest afterward without feeling compressed in the neck or lower back. Take a few easy breaths through your nose if that’s comfortable, then pause on your belly between rounds.
Safety
- Skip with pregnancy, recent abdominal surgery, or a back injury that dislikes extension.
- Neck pain: keep the forehead hovering or rested on a fist and lift less.
- A pinch in the lower back means the lift is too high.
If you are pregnant, injured, or dealing with back pain, consult a doctor before you follow this page. Stop for sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, or chest pain. This is movement education, not a diagnosis or a treatment. Read the medical disclaimer.
Locust Pose (Salabhasana, said sha-lah-BAHS-uh-nuh) is listed here as an Intermediate Prone pose. The body area it emphasizes is Back. Lying on the belly, you lift the chest and the legs a little, using the back body. Small and strong beats high and strained.
Read the steps in order. Set the pose up before you try to deepen it. The first mistake called out on this page is: Lifting as high as possible and holding the breath. That line is there because the usual error is doing too much, not because a tighter shape is a better practice. The modifications keep the same idea when the full shape does not fit today. Use them on purpose. They are part of the pose, not a demotion.
People practice Locust Pose for a plain reason: Strengthens the back of the body. That “may help” is a description of why the shape is in a beginner library. It is not a claim that the pose treats, cures, or prevents a condition. Skip with pregnancy, recent abdominal surgery, or a back injury that dislikes extension.
If you are pregnant, returning from an injury, or your back has been painful, consult a doctor before you practice Locust Pose. A safety note on a website is education. It is not clearance. Sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, or pain that runs down a leg is a reason to stop and get care, not a reason to hold the shape longer. The medical disclaimer on this site says the same thing in more detail.
When you are done, come out slowly. One calm repetition you can repeat tomorrow is the point of the page. Pair Locust Pose with a short routine from this site if you want a sequence, and keep the timer as a guide you are allowed to pause.
Routines that use this pose
Locust Pose: common questions
How high should I lift in Locust Pose?
Only a little. In Locust Pose, a small lift is usually the better choice. Think of your chest and legs hovering rather than reaching their highest point. If your neck tightens, your breath stalls, or your lower back feels pinched, come down and make the shape smaller.
What if Locust Pose bothers my neck?
Keep your neck long and your gaze down. Many beginners do better with a lower lift so the back of the neck stays easy. You can also keep the forehead hovering close to the floor or resting on a light fist while you lift less through the chest.
Can I do Locust Pose if lifting both legs feels too hard?
Yes. A simpler version is often the best place to start. You can lift only your chest with both legs down, or lift one leg at a time. Those options still help you learn how to use the back body without forcing height or holding your breath.