Salabhasana (locust pose)

Salabhasana (locust pose)

To do this pose:

Come to lie down on your stomach on your mat. Relax your forehead down to the mat with your arms down by your sides. Your arms can stay by your sides or bring them behind your back to interlace your fingers. On your inhale, lift your upper body and legs up off the floor and your arms away from you. Hold at the top of the inhale for a few moments before exhaling and lowering back down to the floor. 

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It opens the front body while strengthening the back body. This is another pose that really engages every muscle in the body in a different way. It stretches the front of the body including the collar bones, the chest, the heart, the abdominal muscles, and the hip flexors. 
• It opens the heart. Like we discussed above, this pose opens up the entire chest which includes opening your heart after closing it off, especially after a long shift. 
• It stimulates the abdominal muscles and organs. Lying on your belly gives your abdomen a little massage, stimulating blood flow, digestion, and therefore the release of toxins from the body! This is perfect after a long shift and guzzling down that greasy pizza in the 30 second lunch you got to take.