Salabhasana: A Complete Guide to Locust Pose
Also called Salabhasana
Quick Intro
Salabhasana (Locust Pose in English) is a yoga exercise performed lying face down, lifting the chest, arms and both legs off the floor at the same time so that only the belly and lower ribcage stay in contact with the mat.
Equipment Needed
No equipment is needed to perform Salabhasana. A yoga mat is optional and mainly cushions the belly and hips against the floor.
Why Salabhasana Matters
The muscles along the spine (erector spinae) do the bulk of the lifting work, the back of the thigh (hamstrings, biceps femoris) and the seat (gluteus maximus) lift both legs together and the rear shoulder (deltoid, posterior) and upper back (trapezius, rhomboids) draw the arms up and back to complete the shape.
Flexibility is the main demand, with strength and endurance through the back body close behind.
When to Do It
Salabhasana works well as one of the more demanding posterior-chain strengtheners in a backbend sequence, and it rewards a spine and hips that are already warm. Most sessions built around backbends place it after gentler prone poses have already opened the spine.
- A backbend sequence that has already included gentler prone poses. This pose asks more of the entire back body at once than most poses that come before it.
- A desire to build strength through the spine, glutes and hamstrings together. Few yoga poses load the whole posterior chain this directly.
- Preparing for deeper backbends later in a session. The active lift here builds the same muscles that support poses like full wheel or bow.
For most people, this pose is worth building toward gradually, and it exists to strengthen the entire back body in one sustained, active lift.
Getting Ready
A few rounds of gentle prone backbends, such as a low cobra lift, warm the spine before it works this hard. Lying face down and simply pressing the tops of the feet into the floor, without lifting yet, previews the leg engagement this pose depends on.
Lift from the back muscles contracting, not by yanking the arms up. Squeezing the glutes and inner thighs together helps protect the lower back during the lift.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. The setup. Lie face down with the arms at the sides or extended forward, legs together.
2. The inhale. Inhale and begin lifting the chest off the floor, leading with the muscles along the spine.
3. The lift. Lift the arms and both legs off the floor at the same time, keeping the legs together.
4. The hold. Hold the lifted shape, breathing steadily, for the target breath count.
5. The release. Lower the chest, arms and legs back down together with control.
How Many, How Often
Salabhasana is dosed by breath count, since the sustained muscular effort of the lift is what the hold is training.
| Level | Where you’re at | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | New to the full lift | Hold for 3 to 5 breaths, or try Ardha Salabhasana first if lifting both legs together feels like too much at once. |
| Intermediate | The full lift feels steady | Hold for 5 to 8 breaths with the chest, arms and legs all lifted together. |
| Advanced | 8 breaths feels controlled | Explore Salabhasana — Interlaced Hands once the base lift no longer needs active correction. |
Keeping the legs together and the lift sustained matters more here than how high the chest rises, since a controlled, moderate lift trains the back better than a strained, higher one.
Modifications and Variations
Salabhasana sits in the middle of its own progression, with an easier step below it and a harder step beyond it.
For an easier entry point, Ardha Salabhasana lifts one leg at a time instead of both together, reducing the demand on the lower back while still building the same lift pattern.
For more difficulty, Salabhasana — Interlaced Hands clasps the hands behind the back, adding a shoulder-opening challenge on top of the same full lift.
Progression path: Ardha Salabhasana → Salabhasana → Salabhasana — Interlaced Hands
Build the one-leg-at-a-time version until it feels controlled before combining both legs, since the full lift asks considerably more of the lower back at once.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Yanking the arms upward to force a higher lift. This pulls the effort away from the back muscles that should be doing the work. Lifting from the spine contracting, with the arms following, keeps the effort in the back.
Letting the legs separate as they lift. Separated legs lose part of the lift’s strengthening effect through the inner thighs and glutes. Squeezing the legs together throughout the hold keeps that engagement active.
Straining the neck by looking too far upward. Craning the neck adds tension without adding to the lift itself. Keeping the gaze forward or slightly down protects the neck through the hold.
Holding the breath during the active lift. The effort of holding the shape tempts bracing and shallow breathing. A steady breath through the nose sustains the lift longer than holding the breath does.
After Your Set
Sitting back into a wide-kneed child’s pose releases the lower back that just worked hard to hold the lift. A few gentle knee-hugs to the chest, rocking side to side, ease the spine after the sustained backbend effort.
Going Deeper
This pose is usually trained by anyone building strength through the back body, and it rewards a spine, hips and shoulders that are already warm rather than being used as a cold opener. The most common way it stalls isn’t a lack of back strength, but yanking the arms to chase a higher lift instead of letting the spine’s own contraction do the work, which quietly trades away the strengthening effect this pose is built to provide. Lifting from the back muscles, every single time, is what makes the higher lift come naturally later.
Someone new to this pose generally reaches a steady 5-breath hold within the first two to three weeks, and manages the arms-clasped variation somewhere in the six to nine week range.
How to Know You’re Improving
- A 5-breath hold with the legs staying together throughout
- A lift that comes from the spine contracting, not the arms pulling
- A comfortable 8-breath hold with the chest, arms and legs all lifted at once
- A stable hold with the hands clasped behind the back for at least a few breaths
A lift powered by the back muscles, not how high the chest rises, is what progress looks like here.
Muscles Worked
- Erector Spinae (the muscles running along the length of the spine, contracting along the whole back to hold the lift)
- Gluteus Maximus (the largest glute muscle, raising both legs off the mat)
- Biceps Femoris (a muscle at the back of the thigh, working with the glutes to keep the legs up)
- Posterior Deltoid (the back of the shoulder cap, drawing the arms back and up behind the body)
- Trapezius (the broad muscle spanning the upper back and neck, lifting the chest clear of the floor)
- Rhomboids (the muscles between the shoulder blades, pulling the blades together to open the chest)
FAQ
Why does my lower back feel fatigued so quickly in this pose? The lower back does a large share of the work here, more than in most other backbends. That fatigue is a normal sign the muscles are being trained directly.
Is it okay if my legs don’t lift very high? Yes, a controlled, moderate lift with the legs together trains the same muscles as a higher one. Height is not the priority here.
Should I keep my arms at my sides or extend them forward? Both are valid starting positions. Arms at the sides tends to feel more stable while learning, and extending them forward adds an extra challenge once the base lift feels solid.
Can I practice this if I have a sensitive lower back? Starting with Ardha Salabhasana and building gradually is a reasonable approach, though anyone with an existing back concern should get individual guidance before loading it this directly.
Next in this series: Ardha Salabhasana, the easier one-leg entry, and Salabhasana — Interlaced Hands, the harder bound-arm progression.