Salabhasana, or Locust Pose, is 1* on the scale of difficulty.
After guiding the practitioner into a resting position lying on the belly, Iyengar says, “Exhale, lift the head, chest and legs off the floor simultaneously as high as possible. The hands should not be placed and the ribs should not rest on the floor. Only the abdominal front portion of the body rests on the floor and bears the weight of the body.”
In my practice, I like to take an extra step between lying on my belly and lifting my chest and legs. Before I lift into Salabhasana, I gently raise my right leg off the floor, point my right toes, reach my right foot back as far as I can, then replace the leg. Then, I make the same adjustment on my left leg. This small stretch only creates about an inch more of space between my ribs and my hip points. But, as with so many asanas, every inch counts. An extra inch of space in my torso helps me lift my chest and legs completely off of the ground and fly up into the pose.
Often, it is the small adjustments in life that create the space and freedom to fly.
