Locust A·B · Shalabhasana A·B
Shalabhasana A·B · 샬라바사나 · 메뚜기 자세
Intermediate Series · Nadi Shodhana (Nerve Cleansing) — Backbend Sequence
Breath: 5×2 · Drishti (gaze): nose tip
Prone, pubic bone pressing down, inhale and lift chest and legs together. Two hand positions (A and B) wake the whole back evenly — laying the strength foundation the deep backbends ahead will stand on.
Alignment
- Hands — A: palms down reaching back beside the thighs · B: forearms on the floor
- Feet — together and pointed, lifting with strength
- Knees — straight, the thighs rising off the floor
- Gaze — the nose tip, crown reaching forward without cranking the neck
Entering the pose
- Lie prone, arms alongside
- Inhale, lift chest and legs together
- Press the pubic bone down and hold
Common mistakes
- Bending the knees for fake height
- Cranking the neck to look up
Modifications & props
- Half-drills first — chest alone, then legs alone — before both rise together.
- A folded blanket under the pubic bone helps you find lifting from the whole back rather than the waist.
- Reaching the legs long behind you comes before lifting them high — height arrives as a result of direction.
Benefits
- Strengthens the spinal erectors and glutes
- Lays the strength foundation for the backbends ahead
- Reverses the habitual slump
Role in the sequence
The backbend sequence — the heart of Intermediate — begins here. There is a clear reason this modest prone lift comes first: the Dhanurasana, Ustrasana, and Kapotasana ahead must be supported by strength, not flexibility alone, and this is where that strength is laid. Think of it as the foundation work for the whole backbend chapter.
Practice notes
Shalabha means locust, and a body face down with the legs lifted does resemble one in the grass. The backbend section of the Intermediate Series begins here. A keeps the arms alongside the body with the palms up; B turns them palms down. That single change of palm direction changes the rotation of the shoulders and, with it, which part of the back does the work.
Although it is a backbend, this pose is more a question of endurance than of flexibility. Two sets of five breaths ask the spinal erectors and glutes to stay contracted without a pause, and in the early months the legs quietly sink after three or four. When they sink, lift them again — in this pose it is the number of times you lift, not the height, that builds the back.
Bending the knees or letting the feet splay in order to get higher only shortens the lower back. The first direction is both legs together, pressing long behind you; the height follows as a result. Resting the chin or forehead lightly on the floor and keeping the neck long is safer than cranking the head up to look forward.
Two checks: are you clenching the buttocks so hard that the lower back compresses (use the glutes, but keep the back long), and are both legs rising to the same height? The back still has Dhanurasana and Kapotasana ahead of it, so pacing yourself here matters.
Back strength matters more than height.
Written by Choi Seongjin — 20 years of Ashtanga practice, currently teaching three classes a week. Last updated: .
This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, injured, or have a medical condition, consult a qualified teacher or physician before practising. Disclaimer & Legal Notice
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