There is a certain kinship in the position of the student doing this exercise and that of the locust with its reared abdomen.
The student lies stretched out on his face with the soles of his feet pointing upwards and his hands clenched at the sides, knuckles touching the ground. The chin is also rested on the ground.
The legs are raised quickly from the ground and kept stiff, pressure being felt on the arms and the lower part of the trunk. This exercise may be done about half a dozen times with safety, but a point to be remembered is not to hold the breath and the posture too long—not until it becomes really uncomfortable.
After finishing the posture and the breath retention, breathing will be rather rapid, and the posture should not be repeated until the acceleration of breathing has diminished.
The Locust Pose is the only posture in the whole of Yoga which calls for such sudden effort in raising the limbs.
It is a pose which might be described as the reverse of the Cobra Pose, for whereas in the Cobra the lower extremities were passive, in this posture the upper part of the trunk remains still.
It is obvious that this exercise, done smoothly, has a good effect on the pelvis and abdomen. The muscles of the back are developed and the general circulation in the lower limbs improved.
The Twist
The student sits with his legs out in front of him. The left leg is then bent at the knee and the foot brought into the crutch, the heel being on the perineum. The right leg is so placed that the foot rests on the floor outside the thigh of the bent leg.
The left arm goes outside the upraised right knee (that is, not between it and the body) and grasps the toes of the right leg, which are squarely on the floor. The right arm is placed across the back at the waistline, palm outwards.
The head should be turned to the side (in profile), twisting the neck away from the upraised knee.
The twist, it is seen, comes on the body away from the locked legs and arms, and to exercise the other side of the body the position of the legs and arms is reversed.
The chest is kept erect and the position, for beginners, maintained for a few seconds only.
A healthy body, and one of vigour, must entail a healthy elastic spine, and that spine must be exercised in different ways, of which this is one—giving the spine a side-twist.
The sympathetic nervous system is toned up, as are the muscles of the shoulders. The abdominal muscles muscles get massaged, and the exercise is very good for the kidneys, liver and spleen, and for constipation. This will help you to develop a better sense of well being and if performed regularly with the other poses, you will soon start to gain some really noticeable benefits from yoga.