How to Assume the Locust Pose in Yoga

Video Transcript

"Looking to strengthen your back and abdominal muscles all at the same time? The locust pose maybe the one you'd like to try. Namaste. I'm Cindy Mastry and Willie is going to help me demonstrate a locust pose. So we are going to ask Willie to lay down on his abdominals with his forehead down and pose long. Taking his arms beside his body lets turn his palms up. Good. And we are going to try to lengthen through the back. So he is going to engage his abdominals, draw his belly button in, he's going to inhale in and lengthen up through the crown of his head, roll his shoulders back, squeeze the shoulder blades together, turn the palms in and lift his feet up. Good. Making the shape of the locust. Good. Exhale and lower down. Good, coming into that again, and think about lengthening through your back, so inhale lifting up. And if you find that your back is getting compressed you want to tilt your tail bone down towards your heels, draw your belly button in and think about bringing your pubic bone towards your navel. And that should take the pressure off the low back. If you are still having a little pressure in the low back then you just lower down a little bit and don't try to come up so far. So we want to think about length not necessarily height. So this is the locust pose. A great way to strengthen your back as well as your abdominals. Namaste."