Poorna Shalabhasana (Full Locust Pose)

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Poorna Shalabhasana - Full Locust Pose In Yoga, How to do Poorna Shalabhasana - Full Locust Pose In Yoga, Benefits of Poorna Shalabhasana - Full Locust Pose In Yoga, Precautions, & a note for yoga practitioners

Poorna Shalabhasana (full locust pose) is a part of the advanced group of asanas mentioned in the book “Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha” by Swami Satyananda Saraswati that are designed to further improve the health of a person who is already very healthy.

How to do Poorna Shalabhasana (Full Locust Pose)

  • Assume the final position of shalabhasana with the legs raised in the air as high as possible.
  • Tense the arm muscles.
  • Keep the arms and shoulders in firm contactwith the floor to support the body.
  • Lift the legs with a jerk to the vertical position and balance on the shoulders, chin and arms.
  • Once the point of balance is obtained, gradually bend the knees and bring the toes down to touch the head.
  • This is the final position.
  • The final position may sometimes be more easily achieved by rhythmically swinging the legs up to progressively higher levels until the point of balance is reached.
  • Hold the final position for as long as is comfortable.
  • To return to the starting position, lift the feet from the head and find the point of balance. 
  • Then slowly lower the body to the starting position.
  • Turn the head to one side, or practise advasana, and allow the respiration and heartbeat to return to normal.

Breathing pattern while doing Poorna Shalabhasana (Full Locust Pose)

  • Inhale while in the prone position.
  • Retain the breath inside while raising the body into the final position.
  • Breathe normally in the final position.
  • Retain the breath inside while lowering the body to the prone position.

Sequence: 

  • This asana gives maximum benefits if preceded or followed by a forward bending asana. 

Precautions while doing Poorna Shalabhasana (Full Locust Pose)

  • This advanced form of shalabhasana should only be performed by people who are physically fit and who have very supple backs. 
  • It should not be practised by people with a weak heart, coronary thrombosis or high blood pressure, cervical spondylitis or hyperthyriodism. 
  • Those suffering from peptic ulcer, hernia, intestinal tuberculosis and other such conditions are also advised not to practise this asana.
  • The cautions for strenuous inverted asanas apply.

Poorna Shalabhasana (Full Locust Pose) Benefits

  • Poorna shalabhasana strengthens the back and pelvic organs.
  • It tones and balances the functioning of the liver, stomach, bowels and other abdominal organs, and stimulates the appetite. 
  • It tightens the muscles of the buttocks and causes the body to do vajroli mudra spontaneously.
  • Many of the benefits of inverted asanas also apply.

Advanced Yoga Poses Series

Advanced yoga poses take your yoga practice to the next level. If you’ve perfected beginner, and intermediate yoga poses, you can explore advanced yoga poses. The advanced poses should not be attempted unless the body is very flexible. Poorna Shalabhasana (Full Locust Pose) is one of the yoga poses classified as advanced yoga poses.

Advanced Yoga Poses and perfecting them can make you an expert in Yoga asanas. Before attempting advanced yoga poses, it’s important to perfect yoga poses and sequences including Sun Salutation, Pawanmuktasana Series, Padmasana group of asanas, forward bending yoga poses, spinal twisting yoga poses, postures for meditation, inverted yoga poses, and balancing yoga poses.

Be mindful of all the precautions to take while doing these poses to avoid injury. It’s advised to learn these in presence of a trained instructor to make sure you do these properly.

List of Advanced Yoga Poses

  1. Poorna Bhujangasana – Full Cobra Pose In Yoga
  2. Koormasana – Tortoise Pose In Yoga
  3. Poorna Shalabhasana – Full Locust Pose In Yoga
  4. Poorna Dhanurasana – Full Bow Pose In Yoga
  5. Dhanurakarshanasana – Archer’s Pose In Yoga
  6. Prishthasana – Back Pose In Yoga
  7. Parighasana – Beam or Cross-bar pose In Yoga
  8. Chakrasana – Wheel Pose In Yoga
  9. Hanumanasana – Hanuman’s Pose In Yoga
  10. Brahmacharyasana – Celibate’s Pose In Yoga
  11. Grivasana – Neck Pose In Yoga
  12. Sirshapada Bhumi Sparshasana – Head And Foot Touching The Ground Pose In Yoga
  13. Poorna Matsyendrasana – Full Spinal Twist Pose In Yoga
  14. Mayurasana – Peacock Pose In Yoga
  15. Padma Mayurasana – Lotus Or Bound Peacock Pose In Yoga
  16. Moolabandhasana – Perineal Contraction Pose In Yoga
  17. Gorakshasana – Yogi Gorakhnath’s Pose In Yoga
  18. Astavakrasana – Eight-twists Pose In Yoga
  19. Vrischikasana – Scorpion Pose In Yoga
  20. Eka Pada Sirasana – One Foot To Head Pose In Yoga
  21. Utthan Eka Pada Sirasana – Standing Foot To Head Pose In Yoga
  22. Dwi Pada Sirasana – Two Feet To Head Pose In Yoga
  23. Dwi Pada Kandharasana – Two-Legged Shoulder Pose In Yoga
  24. Padma Parvatasana – Lotus Mountain Pose In Yoga
  25. Kashyapasana – Sage Kashyapa’s Pose In Yoga
  26. Vishwamitrasana – Sage Vishwamitra’s Pose In Yoga

Conclusion

We hope you found this article on Poorna Shalabhasana (Full Locust Pose) useful. It covers how to do Poorna Shalabhasana (Full Locust Pose), the benefits of the pose, precautions while doing the yoga pose, and important notes for practitioners. You can check out other advanced yoga poses from the list mentioned above.

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The following articles are recommended for you. Apart from these, do read The Basics of Yoga, and eight limbs of yoga.

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