How long should you hold locust pose when you are new to the exercise?

Hold for 3 to 5 breaths, doing 3 rounds with a brief rest face down between each one. Add a round before you add hold time, since more short lifts build the pattern faster than one long strained one.

How do I make locust pose easier or harder?

Lift a few inches and keep the arms low alongside the body rather than reaching them back to make it easier. To make it harder, extend the hold to 8 to 10 breaths, or reach the arms further back toward the heels to increase the lever.

What is locust pose good for, and when should you skip it?

It strengthens the entire back of the body without any hand support, one of the better low-equipment counters to a day spent sitting. Skip it, or keep the lift very shallow, during an acute low back flare-up, since loaded spinal extension can aggravate an already irritated back.

Intermediate

Locust Pose

Locust builds the back of the body from the neck to the heels: the spinal extensors and glutes do the lifting while the hamstrings and rear shoulders assist. Unlike Cobra, there is no hand support, so the muscles alone hold the shape. It is one of the best low-equipment drills for postural endurance and a natural counter to constant sitting.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Back, Glutes
Type: Strength, Yoga
Browse by muscle: Erector Spinae, Gluteus Maximus

How to do it

1
Lie face down with the legs together and the arms alongside the body, palms down.
2
Rest the forehead lightly on the floor and lengthen through the spine.
3
Exhale and lift the chest, arms, and legs away from the floor at the same time.
4
Reach the fingertips back toward the heels and draw the shoulder blades together.
5
Keep the legs straight and active, lifting from the glutes and hamstrings.
6
Hold with steady breath, then lower with control and rest a moment before repeating.

Tips

Lengthen the body long before lifting so you extend the spine rather than crunch it.
Keep the gaze down and slightly forward to keep the neck in line with the spine.
Start by lifting only the chest or only the legs if lifting both at once is too much.

Variations

Common mistakes

The knees bend slightly during the lift instead of staying straight and active, which quietly turns leg strength into leg flexibility.
The shoulders creep up toward the ears as the arms reach back, adding neck and upper-trap tension that has nothing to do with the low back work.
Holding the breath through the lift instead of breathing steadily makes a short hold feel far more taxing than it needs to be.
The hip bones lift off the mat along with the chest and legs, which shortens the spine instead of lengthening it through the extension.
Rushing back down out of the pose instead of lowering with control gives away the eccentric half of the work the hold just built.

Frequently asked

How long should you hold locust pose when you are new to the exercise?: Hold for 3 to 5 breaths, doing 3 rounds with a brief rest face down between each one. Add a round before you add hold time, since more short lifts build the pattern faster than one long strained one.
How do I make locust pose easier or harder?: Lift a few inches and keep the arms low alongside the body rather than reaching them back to make it easier. To make it harder, extend the hold to 8 to 10 breaths, or reach the arms further back toward the heels to increase the lever.
What is locust pose good for, and when should you skip it?: It strengthens the entire back of the body without any hand support, one of the better low-equipment counters to a day spent sitting. Skip it, or keep the lift very shallow, during an acute low back flare-up, since loaded spinal extension can aggravate an already irritated back.

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