Locust Pose

How to do Locust Pose

1. 1Lie flat on your belly with your forehead on the mat, legs hip-width apart, and arms resting alongside your torso with palms facing down.
2. 2Gently press your pubic bone into the floor and draw your navel toward your spine to support your lower back.
3. 3Anchor the tops of your feet into the mat, roll your shoulders back, and reach your fingertips actively toward your heels.
4. 4Inhale to lift your head, chest, and upper ribs away from the floor, keeping the back of your neck long and unwrinkled.
5. 5Simultaneously float both legs off the mat, engaging your glutes and extending backward through the balls of your feet.
6. 6Spin your inner thighs slightly upward toward the ceiling to keep your sacrum broad and your lower back spacious.
7. 7Hold the lifted shape for three to five smooth breaths, focusing on lengthening from the crown of your head to your toes.
8. 8Exhale slowly to lower your torso and legs to the mat, turning one cheek to the side to rest.

Benefits

• Strengthens the spinal erectors, gluteals, and hamstring muscle groups.
• Broadens the collarbones and stretches the front of the shoulders.
• Builds core stability and tones the deep abdominal wall.
• Improves spinal extension to counteract forward-slumping desk posture.
• Develops active back-body strength without joint compression.

Common mistakes and cues

• Craning the neck

  Keep your gaze cast softly downward and forward so the cervical spine remains a natural extension of your upper back.

• Splaying the legs wide

  Keep your legs hip-width apart with inner thighs spinning upward to prevent pinching in the sacroiliac joints.

• Holding the breath

  Breathe smoothly and expansively into the ribcage rather than holding your breath against abdominal pressure.

• Bending the knees excessively

  Prioritize straight, energized legs that reach back through the toes rather than bending the knees to gain height.

Modifications and props

• Upper body lift only

  Keep the tops of your feet grounded on the mat and lift only your head, chest, and arms to focus on thoracic extension.

• Lower body lift only

  Rest your forehead on stacked hands and lift only your legs to isolate and strengthen the glutes and hamstrings.

• Blanket under pelvis

  Place a folded blanket beneath your hip points and pubic bone to cushion sensitive bones against firm flooring.

• Strap between hands

  Hold a strap taut behind your back with hands shoulder-width apart to facilitate shoulder retraction if your chest is tight.

Cautions

• Pregnancy

  Avoid prone belly-down postures during the second and third trimesters, opting for hands-and-knees balancing shapes instead.

• Acute lower back injury

  Reduce the height of your lift or rest if you experience sharp compression or discomfort in the lumbar spine.

• Recent abdominal surgery

  Avoid placing direct pressure on the abdomen until your doctor provides full medical clearance.

If you are working with an injury, pregnancy or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practising this pose.

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