Locust Pose

Instructions

1. 11. Lie face down with your forehead on the mat, legs together, arms resting alongside your body with palms facing up.
2. 22. Inhale and simultaneously lift your head, chest, arms, and legs off the mat, reaching your fingertips toward your feet.
3. 33. Broaden your collarbones, draw your shoulder blades toward each other, and keep your gaze directed slightly forward and down.
4. 44. Engage your glutes and inner thighs to protect your lower back and encourage even extension through the whole spine.
5. 55. Keep your neck in a neutral extension — avoid compressing the back of the skull toward the shoulders.
6. 66. Hold for 5–8 breaths, then exhale slowly and lower everything back to the mat with control.
7. 77. Rest with your cheek to one side for a breath before repeating.

Contraindications & precautions

• ⚠Herniated lumbar disc or acute sciatica — the active spinal extension and compression of the posterior vertebrae can aggravate nerve impingement.
• ⚠Pregnancy — direct pressure on the abdomen in a prone position is contraindicated from the second trimester onward.
• ⚠Recent abdominal surgery — the simultaneous lift of the torso and legs creates intense intra-abdominal pressure that can compromise surgical healing.