CHENNAI : Salabh means locust. This pose gives you a strong lower back and cure ailments of the spine. For me, this pose is a slow release of energy I can tap into later.
STEPS
Lie down on the floor in a prone position (on your stomach), rest your forehead on the mat, arms by your side, legs kept straight and together. Relax for a few breathing cycles.With an exhalation lift legs as well as upper body and arms off the floor. The knees, thighs, chest and shoulders will be off the floor in the final position. The legs will be kept together. Do not allow the ribs to rest on the floor.
Breathe normal as you hold for 20 seconds to a minute. Continue to lift the legs and chest higher as you hold. Push the arms back towards the feet for a stretch in the shoulders and pectorals. The rhomboids in the upper back will work to bring the shoulder blades towards the spine.Gaze should be forward or down. Slowly lower down and relax. Repeat if necessary after resting for a few minutes.
An advanced variation of this pose is to interlock the fingers behind you before coming into the pose. In the final pose push the clasped hands towards the feet for a higher lift in the upper body.
TIP
Tighten your glutes (buttocks muscles), doing so grounds your pelvis to the floor (relaxes the hip flexor muscles) and allows you to stretch your legs and arms further away. Try to keep your feet and hands equidistant from the floor.
BENEFITS
Strengthens abdominal organs, helps with digestion and gastric problems. Relieves lower back pain and slipped/prolapsed discs in the sacral and lumbar region of the spine due to the contraction there. The contraction when released brings oxygenated blood to the area. In the resting phase following the pose, increased blood flow to the contracted body parts drives away toxins.Anshu Vyas Seetharaman is a yoga and fitness trainer at Sri Aurobindo Society, Bengaluru (110 Gangadhara Chetty Road, Ulsoor).
Email: bodysculpting.yogatherapy@gmail.com