Salabhasana


Salabhasana, Shalabhasana, Locust pose, or Grasshopper pose is a reclining back-bending asana in modern yoga as exercise.

Etymology and origins

The name comes from the Sanskrit शलभा "shalabh" which means "grasshopper" or "locust".
The pose is not found in the medieval hatha yoga texts. It is described independently in Swami Vishnudevananda's 1960 Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga in the Sivananda Yoga tradition, and by B. K. S. Iyengar in his 1966 Light on Yoga, implying that it may have older origins. A similar pose was found in Western gymnastics such as in The Bagot Stack Stretch-and-Swing System, 1931, though Bagot had visited India.

Description

Salabhasana is entered from a prone position. The legs are stretched out straight and lifted; the arms are stretched straight back, palms down, and lifted; the head is lifted and the gaze is directed straight ahead.
It is a back bend, or spine stretch, utilizing the strength of the upper and middle back to lift the weight of the legs as high as possible from a starting position while face down on the floor. It improves flexibility and coordination, exercises the back muscles, and increases strength and stamina.

Variations

Variations include:
In Bikram Yoga, Salabhasana has three stages. The asana of the same name in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga corresponds to stage three of the Bikram style asana.

Preparatory asanas

In several styles of yoga, including Bikram Yoga and Astanga Yoga, Salabhasana is commonly performed after Bhujangasana, a related asana working on a different part of the spine.