Darla Czerwinski
New Member
Posts:2
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| 30 Oct 2007 09:04 PM |
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Hi everyone,
my friend and I have been coming for awhile and we both agree that our "dreaded" posture is locust.
I have to know... what muscles are involved to get your "angel wings" that is the feet up over the back.
I feel like a struggling trussed goose and my friend says her pubic bone hurts.
Any tips? |
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Nicole Shaw
Sunstone Yoga Teacher
Basic Member
Posts:454
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| 31 Oct 2007 06:15 PM |
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Hello Darla,
Locust is one posture that requires incredible upper body strength and core strength. As a beginner focus on pressing your sternum into the floor and spreading your chest muscles apart to help you flatten your chest all the way into the ground. This external rotation of the shoulders will create the shoulder blades to pop up and out in your back (hence the name angel wings have arrived). Most students tend to round their upper up back causing the chest to pull away from the ground and hence no "angel wings" and the legs seem to be only a few inches off the ground.
Once the chest is firmly established into the ground draw the pubic bone in and up towards the belly button, this can help lift the hips away from the arms and put more and much needed pressure into the upper body. This pressure is the foundation to getting the legs and hips off the ground. With the added help of strong arms and hands pressing down into the mat, exhale the breath, drop the sternum down, squeeze all the air out of the lungs and draw up the pelvic floor muscles (this will help your friend's pain with the pubic bone), contract and squeeze the inner thighs and slowly lift the lower body away from the floor.
This pose takes a little time to master, try attending 84 Asanas at Plano on Fridays at 1:15pm (the class is approx 3hrs in length and we go over the Fire poses and also advanced poses too. I am always there and I am very happy to answer any questions and to help you into the pose if needed.
Wood class also has a 30 minute posture lab following every class, and the instructors are all happy to look at the postures you are struggling with and help you into the correct position for your unique self.
Love the journey. |
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priss
New Member
Posts:2
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| 27 May 2008 04:05 PM |
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Any updates on tips for this pose? I have above average upper body strength for a woman and still dread this pose. There is clearly a "mind-body" connection I am not making. At this point, its likely I have mentally "beat" myself out of this pose. |
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Greg Angus
New Member
Posts:10
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| 28 Nov 2008 12:13 PM |
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| This may be one of the leaders in the 'dreaded' category. But there is much to gain from this pose. I think just be patient. You've probably moved way beyond this by now, but here goes. When I've had that sort of relationship with a pose, eventually I have found that scaling back to the first thing you know you can do well in the pose and just doing that, is the best thing to do. Maybe on locust it is just to make sure your arms are right and not worry too much about how high your feet go. Just do the minimum and pay attention to what you feel, and where, and after a few (or 8 or 10 or 20) classes you will probably discover something and that will help move this post out of the 'dreaded' category. |
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Amy_N
New Member
Posts:12
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| 16 Mar 2009 10:02 AM |
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| I'm having trouble with Locust as well. My problem is getting my hands palm down to the mat and keeping my arms under my body. This makes my elbows hurt soo much. It feels like they are being pulled beyond what they should be, and I fear that I will end up hurting myself. Getting my legs up isn't the hard part, I have gotten better a that. But my arms, oh the pain! Is there an arm position variation that I can try? |
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Nicole Shaw
Sunstone Yoga Teacher
Basic Member
Posts:454
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| 17 Mar 2009 12:04 AM |
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Locust pose can cause discomfort in the joints of the arms these include the wrists, elbows and the shoulders. From my experience students who have hyper extended elbow joints suffer a great deal when learning to do Locust.
A solution for elbow and wrist pain is to do the following:
1. To start, look forward with your chin on the ground, slide both arms underneath your body, your elbow points rest up against the stomach, the palm of the hands are flat on the floor with the fingers spread wide apart. For women and men with a large chest the arms can be placed along the side of the chest, for flat chests persons it will be easier to lay the chest on the back of the arms (triceps). Make sure your forearms are on the inside of hip bones, if the hip bones are resting on the arms this can cause discomfort.
2. Actively press your finger tips into the ground, be mindful not to cup your hands, keep the fingers spreading apart . At the same time you are pressing the finger tips into the ground bend the elbows slightly, you will feel the muscles in the arms contracting when you do this. Actively contracting the muscles in the arms will protect the joints.
3. Contract both legs muscles, squeeze the inner thighs together, roll your knee caps inwards and upwards. Suck in the stomach and scoop you tail bone under towards the pubis, this will stabilize the pelvis and will engage the lower abdominals.
4. Exhale the breath and press your chest into the floor, lift the legs and hips up into the air. Beginners will have the tendency to collapse the lower back, the tail bone will tend to lift towards the ceiling, keep directing the tail bone towards the pubis keep the legs super contracted.
Enjoy your practice.
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MBeebe
New Member
Posts:3
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| 28 Mar 2009 01:10 PM |
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| I will have to try these pointers too... I also get discomfort in my elbows from this, but especially from my hip bones digging into my arms! Sounds like I need to concentrate on widening my shoulders and pressing my sternum more strongly into the ground. I seem to have a problem getting my arms to the inside of my hip bones in order to lessen the "ouch". |
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dfigueroa
New Member
Posts:1
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| 25 Aug 2009 11:51 AM |
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| Oh I'm so happy to know that I can put my arms along the sides of my chest... now with that variation, will your hands be along the outside of the hips? Or do you pull them in towards each other? |
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cmiller
New Member
Posts:29
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| 28 Aug 2009 12:06 PM |
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| I am not able to get my arms underneath my body...i have to turn my arms but they stay slightly underneath the edges of my body but are mostly next to my body...my hands splay out. Will they eventually open up? I also have a large chest, but don't think that is my problem...any thoughts? |
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Nicole Shaw
Sunstone Yoga Teacher
Basic Member
Posts:454
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| 02 Sep 2009 01:09 PM |
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Hello Christine,
Next time you can make time pleas attend a 90 minute wood class, the 90 minute class is a 60 minute wood class with a 30 minute Q& A at the end. It is important to be able to see you in the pose so we can align you correctly. On November 14th and 15th we have a weekend FIRE workshop just for Fire postures, I would encourage every one who can to attend the work shop.
In the past I have been able to place the arms of people with very broad chests under the body in a way that is acceptable for them to get the legs in the air without pain in the joints.
One thing to try: Roll on your side and roll your shoulders forward slightly, place both arms along the sides of your chest and gently squeeze your chest together with your arms, as if you are creating your own chest lift, this should position the arms just on the inside of the hip bones. At first your back will be rounded, but your arms are getting a maximum stretch. You may not be able to get the thighs off the mat however you are working on strengthening the shoulders and arms first. Eventually the legs will start to lift higher in the air as your strength in the upper body and arms increase.
Remember: DO NOT FORCE THIS POSE.
Take your time, keep the fingers spread wide apart, press into every finger this will strengthen the wrists. If it is too painful on the wrists you can make a fist until the strength has increased.
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