Yoga pose | Musasana | Studying one Yoga Pose Month

Deepening Your Yoga Pose: Salambhasana (Locust Pose)

Salambhasana (Locust Pose): A Quintessential Yoga Pose for Our Culture Part II

Ready for more poses we need to balance ourselves?  I shared two variations of Salabhasana (Locust Pose) in my last post.  The third Salabhasana variation takes more description so I am giving it its very own post.

The third variation is even more quintessential for our culture because not only does it have all the benefits of Salabhasana I referred to in the last post, it also counters the overworked upper trapezius muscle (across the top of your shoulders).  Our upper trapezius is, well, helpful.  It tends to engage often, even when it is unnecessary, causing even more tension across the top of our shoulders. 

In this variation, we can strengthen the lower trapezius which goes across the lower part of your shoulder blades.  Strengthening the lower trapezius helps counter the overwork of the upper trapezius by drawing the shoulder blades down. The greatest challenge to working the lower trapezius muscle, however, is the upper trapezius just naturally takes over.  And the lower trapezius can be so underused (because of the tenacious upper trapezius), you may not even be able to engage it initially! 

Test yourself.  Prepare for Salabhasana.  Take our arms overhead (like in the photo).  Have them spaced slightly so they are not parallel but in a small V-shape.  Draw your shoulders down firmly.  Lifting from your mid-back, lift the arms off the floor without letting the hands slide forward.  Do the shoulders hunch at all?  If so, you are using your upper trapezius.  Take the arms down and try again, this time leaving a few fingers on the floor.  Still can't do it?  Have a friend (or use partners if in a class) stand over you and place her hands below your shoulder blades next to the spine.  Work on engaging just under their hands.  It has taken some of my students several classes before they first properly engage the lower trapezius.

Once you can lift without any tension in the upper trapezius, you can add the rest of Salabhasana -- lift arms, then torso-legs, then lower torso-legs, and then lower arms.

Related Posts:

• Quintessential Yoga Poses for our Culture: Introduction
• Quintessential Yoga Poses for our Culture: Part I
• Quintessential Yoga Poses for our Culture: Part II

Salambhasana (Locust Pose): A Quintessential Yoga Pose for Our Culture

(Here is a post from my other blog: www.MuseLaura.com.  I did a series on the most important poses for our culture, the poses that balance us from the craziness of our lives.  This pose is one of the most important -- as my students can attest to!  They do it alot!  Enjoy!)

Continuing my series on the poses that are the most essential for people in our culture, the next one is Salabhasana, or locust pose.  This pose strengthens the muscles in our back for better posture, counters the rounding in our shoulders, strengthens the muscles in our neck to counter the forward head position many of us have, and strengthens the muscles that help hold our intervertebral discs in place. There are more benefits, but that gives you the gist!

I do teach the pose in four steps:  Lift arms, then torso and legs, then lower torso and legs and then the arms.  Doing the pose in four parts helps you focus on lifting the arms correctly.

I have three variations that I teach regularly in classes.  The traditional, of course.  In this variation, as you lift the arms, draw them into your body as well.  You will feel your inner shoulder blades move into your back and support the opening of your heart:

Then I also like this one because it strengthens the muscles that draw your shoulder blades together (to counter the forward slump).  Be sure to lift the arms by drawing the shoulder blades together:

The third and final variation deserves its own post because of its complexity.  Coming soon!

Related Posts:

• Quintessential Yoga Poses for our Culture: Introduction
• Quintessential Yoga Poses for our Culture: Part I

Study Points for the Yoga Pose of the Month: Salambhasana (Locust Pose)

Yoga pose of the month:  Let's study Salambhasana (Locust Pose) this month.  Here are some ideas for you to consider:

1. Play with how engaged your body is in this pose.  Are your inner thighs engaged? Abdominals?  pelvic floor?  Find just enough engagement without gripping.
2. How far apart are your feet?
3. Can you feel your entire back side engaged equally?
4. How do the muscles in your buttocks work?  Are they elongating?  Gripping?  Play with how you use them to keep spaciousness in your lower back.

If you are a teacher, challenge yourself to teach this pose in each class this month.  Add this component:  Can you find something new to teach (and learn)?