Shalabhasana
Locust pose
A healthy body needs a healthy digestive system. Our digestive system is one of the most overrated parts of our body. People don’t often focus on the digestive system and somehow suffers a lot due to the negligence of human being. To live a healthy lifestyle, it is very important to focus on your digestive system and strengthen it. You can do that by practicing yoga. Yoga is the need of the generation. This generation suffers a lot. Covid -19 also affected our digestive system. so, it becomes very important for an individual to focus on their health and improve the digestive system and enhance immunity.
Yoga is the only thing that can help improve the overall health of an individual. It will enhance immunity and help you to fight against various diseases. Hence, practicing yoga could be beneficial.
Shalabhasana or locust pose is one such asana that can be practiced by an individual to strengthen their abdomen organs and digestive system.
Shalabhasana is derived from the Sanskrit language. The English meaning of the terms is Shalabh means locust,Asana means pose
Hence, Shalabhasana is also known as the locust pose. The name was derived from the posture that this pose makes. This pose makes the posture of a grasshopper or locust. Hence, this pose is called a locust pose. Locust pose is very effective in improving our digestive system. This pose gives a massage to your digestive system and hence improves the overall health of the digestive system. Shalabhasana is a prone- backbend asan. This pose can be practiced by bending your back by lying on your belly.
this pose will strengthen your core and enhance flexibility.
Benefits:

• Strength: This pose will increase the strength and power of the lower back. the pose will strengthen the muscles at the lower back and enhance the overall health of our back and spine.
• Gastric problems: This pose will massage your abdomen and digestive system and release all the excess gas from your body. It exerts pressure on your digestive system, thus resulting in reducing gastric problems.
• Internal organs: This pose pressurizes various internal organs and hence massages the organs. the massage to the organs will improve the health of the organs and result in the betterment of the internal organs. It also improves the abdomen, uterus, and bladder health of an individual.
• Sexual health: This poses massage your abdomen and thus help you to enhance the sexual health of an individual. It will enhance the blood flow in your pelvic thus enhancing the overall sexual health of an individual.
• Blood circulation: This pose enhances the blood circulation in an individual. During this pose, we raise our legs. The raised legs enhance the blood flow and improve blood circulation. The oxygen-carrying blood will reach the mind and refreshes it. And the rich blood that reaches other parts of the body will help an individual to detoxify the body.
• Maintain blood pressure: This pose will help you in maintaining your blood pressure. It will regulate the blood flow and maintain the blood pressure.
• Back pain: Practicing this pose is beneficial in the lower back and back pain. This pose can be beneficial in slipped disc problems. It massages your back and improves the moment of your spine and enhances strength. It improves the blood flow in your spine, butts, and legs and reduces pain.
• Mild sciatica: Sciatica is a condition of severe pain that radiates from the back to the hips and outer side of the leg caused by compression of sciatic nerves. Practicing locust pose will be beneficial in this condition. You must consult your doctor or yoga instructor before practicing this pose for your condition.
• This pose will enhance flexibility in an individual. This pose stretches your back, spine, buttocks, thighs, calves, hamstrings, core, chest, and shoulder. The stretch will enhance the flexibility of an individual.
• Tones the core: This pose will tone the core. It stretches the core and lower abdomen and helps an individual to tone up their body. This is a great pose to enhance strength.
• Stomach discomfort: This pose will help you to treat stomach discomfort. Stomach discomfort could be because of many reasons like bloating, gastric, cramps, etc. this pose will help an individual in treating the stomach discomfort.
• Stimulate the appetite: This pose will help an individual in stimulating the appetite. It will improve the digestive system and hence stimulate appetite in children.
• Strengthen the shoulders and neck muscles: This pose will give a stretch to the shoulder and neck and hence strengthen it.
• Menstrual cycle: Practicing Shalabhasana will massage the abdomen and hence regulate the menstrual cycle. This pose is also beneficial in menopause and reducing cramps.        

Technique:
Step 1: lay on your belly and place your hands beside your hips. You should be careful while practicing the pose.
Step 2: Keep your back, neck, and legs straight and stretched. You should stretch your whole body to the maximum.
Step 3: To perform the pose bring your hands in the forward direction and stretch them out. Your hands should be fully stretched in the forward direction.  
Step 4: Raise your legs and hands simultaneously. Your abdomen must not lift. Do not force yourself while lifting. You should not force your breathing. This may cause injury. Hence, an individual needs to do this pose very patiently.
Step 5: Hold on to the pose for 30 seconds at least and focus on your breathing. Do not force breathing.  
Step 6: Repeat the pose at least 5 times.   
Precautions:

• Do not practice this pose if you are suffering from a neck injury. Practicing this pose might worsen the injury.
• Avoid practicing the pose in case of back and spine pain. This will enhance the pose.
• Do not strain the body while practicing the pose.
• Do not bend your chin, legs, or hands. Keep them all straight.
• Do not practice the pose if you are suffering from heart-related diseases.
• Do not practice the pose if you are suffering from abdomen pain or injury. This pose is strictly prohibited during this situation.
• Do not practice this pose on the first two days of your menstrual cycle.
• In case of abdominal tuberculosis, ulcer, hernia, avoid practicing the pose.
• This pose is not for pregnant women. Hence it is suggested not to practice the pose during pregnancy.

Props and modification:

• If you find this pose difficult, you can keep your arms on the floor along with your chin. You can just raise your legs and practice the pose.
• Support yourself with a blanket to avoid injury.
• You can also use yoga brick to support your body during the practice. This will help you to avoid injuries.