ETYMOLOGY:
The word SHALABA means “locust”. So SHALABASANA can be translated as the Locust Position.
The position has got a variant, easier than the proper asana: ARDHA SHALABASANA.
ARDHA SHALABASANA:
This position is very simple and accessible to everybody. The ones who cannot execute the Locust’s position for now will approach it.
HOW TO PERFORM ARDHA SHALABASANA:
You lie down facing on the ground. Your legs are stretched and your soles should be facing up.
Stretch your arms and put them under your thighs, with palms closed up on the ground. During execution you have to keep your arms stuck to the ground as much as possible, from the shoulders to your fingers.
Put your chin on the ground and push it as much as possible. Thus you stretch your neck and also compress your nape. It helps you getting good results from this position.
It is necessary that you pay attention that your pelvis should stay as close to the ground as possible, during the entire performing of the asana. It shouldn’t move while doing this position (to the right or to the left).
Once you’ve adopted this position you will perform the asana as follows:
The left side execution:
Raise your left leg slowly by progressive contraction of the inferior dorsal muscles. The leg should rise vertically. The height is not that important. What matters is the contraction of the back muscles. Once you did that a great amount of oxygenated blood will get to the lumbar area.
Lean especially on your left arm and contract only the left side muscles. The weight of the leg that is up will get partly to the abdomen and the pressure rises in that area.
During the left side execution focus on perceiving the cosmic energies flow through your left leg. These energies will be focused on the level of SWATHISTHANA CHAKRA.
BECOMING AWARE:
At the end of the execution you let your left leg down and concentrate your attention to perceive the stimulation of the force centre Swadhisthana Chakra concerning its aspect of sensitivity (its power of reception).
The right side execution:
After noticing the effects of the left side execution, you should pass to the position on the opposite side. Slowly rise your right leg by contracting progressively the inferior dorsal muscles. The leg should be vertically. The height is less important than the back muscles’ contraction. Once you did that a great amount of blood will get to the lumbar area.
Lean especially on your right arm and contract only the right side muscles. The weight of the right leg gets to the abdomen and thus the pressure rises in that area.
BECOMING AWARE:
At the end of the execution you let your right leg down and concentrate your attention to perceive the stimulation of the force centre Swadhisthana Chakra concerning its aspect of control (its power of emission).
HOW TO PERFORM SHALABASANA:
The starting position is the one of ARDHA SHALABASANA. In case of SHALABASANA you should raise both your legs at the same time through a strong contraction of the lumbar muscles.
During execution, while your legs are up, you should be careful not to bend your knees. Your chin and your shoulders should always be in contact with the ground and avoid contracting your legs or your feet.
FOCUSING:
During SHALABASANA you focus your attention on perceiving the cosmic energies flow that goes through your legs. Notice the Yin (-) energy that goes through your left leg and the Yang (+) energy that goes through the right leg.
Focus them on SWADHISTHANA CHAKRA. Be aware of the stimulation of this force centre. When you stop you’ll notice very fine vibrations at Swadhisthana Chakra. Perceive the equilibrated activity of this force centre, sexual vitality and energetically availability.
Be conscious of your enlarged capacity of controlling the sexual energies. Also notice that your legs are full of energy.
EFFECTS AND BENEFICES:
It is necessary to review some of the physiological notions about sympathetic nervous system in order to understand better how this asana acts for improving the human being’s health.
It is known the fact that the entire vegetative activity, although unconscious and involuntary is under the control of the autonomous nervous system. It is divided into two separate and antagonistically systems: ortho-sympathetic and parasympathetic.
The parasympathetic system is also divided into two: the pneumogastric or the vague nerve and the pelvic part of the parasympathetic.
The equilibrium between the two is the condition for a good function of the physical body. These two systems are now a whole and it is necessary that they should be stimulated and fortified in order to function harmoniously.
- Shalabasana gets a rush of blood in the inferior part of the back by the contraction of the inferior part of the backbone muscles. Thus it fortifies the pelvis part of the parasimpatic.
- Plus, due to the head position (because of pushing the chin forward) and of the shoulders (that are stuck to the ground) it influences the neck and the nape. Thus it influences directly the pneumogastric (the vague nerve).
- It fortifies the abdominal viscera because of the pressure it creates in this area.
- Shalabasana gives back the backbone its suppleness and corrects all the defaults of curvature in its lower area. It brings the vertebras in their normal position or the intervertebral discs that were out of place, especially those from the lumbar area. It also acts directly on the fifth lumbar vertebra that is the foundation of the entire backbone.
- It enhances the lumbar muscles. Thus a lot of cases of sciatica and lumbago are healed fast.
- The rising up of your legs will lead to numerous beneficial effects upon the blood circulation. The excessive blood that goes through veins is, due to the force of gravity, thrown out from the legs and led to the abdominal and sacral areas. It prevents or heals certain stomach and intestine diseases. It eliminates liver tiredness, dyspepsia, increases the appetite and heals milkleg.
- It helps eliminating constipation naturally. It leads the faeces from the ascendant colon to the transversal one and then to the descendent colon.
- Due to the pressure upon the thoracic zone, the lungs are fortified. At the same time the alveolus open up wider and thus help the oxygen assimilation.
- This position helps the sexual energies of the human being to go up. Just like a locust has the distinct capacity to jump, the human’s instinctual inferior energies are being sublimated to the superior levels.
- It wakes up the essential energy of a human being – KUNDALINI. This energy is latent, potential and stays at the basis of the backbone.