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Now we will practice śalabhāsana, the locust pose, in two variations. The first variation is quite demanding for the muscles, though less so for spinal flexibility. The legs are joined, the arms are stretched out, and we lift both arms and legs simultaneously. It should look like this: do not spread your arms or legs, do not bend your knees and hang to one side. Instead, raise your arms above your head, join your hands, look upward, and lift your legs. Then we descend. We hold the posture with full lungs and descend on the exhalation. However, if someone has issues with high blood pressure or ocular pressure, then breathe naturally while in the posture. Staying longer in the pose will yield a stronger effect on the muscles. We will perform it three times. Inhale, lift arms and legs, and follow along. Hands above the head, phenomenal. Keep legs straight, do not bend the knees. Breathe, then come down. When holding the position with full lungs, do not perform any internal compression. Practicing the āsana in this way will lead to a clearer mind. It beneficially affects all the capillaries. Remain soft in the posture, even while using strength. The second time, exhale. This works on strengthening the entire posterior musculature, the legs, and especially the thigh muscles on the back side. Strengthen your gluteal muscles, then lower down on the exhale. To correct the position of the pelvis, two things are needed: strengthen the gluteal muscles and also tighten the front ones. This āsana is a prerequisite for that. Secondly, it has an action on the prostate; this can also be achieved with this āsana. Try to feel that area of the prostate; you will feel a freshness there. Once again, inhale. For women, it is also very beneficial, especially against painful menstruation. Inhale. Assume the tiger pose, palm on palm, and bend the leg at the knee. As we know from practicing this āsana since the first level, it is a kneeling posture, not lying on the side. Always alternate the left and right side, as mentioned earlier, to work evenly on both sides. The next āsana is a variation of śalabhāsana. In this variation, we place the hands under the body so that the soft part of the elbow is on the floor, with the hands placed here. If your elbows hurt, you can adjust, but try this way for greater stability and a firmer foundation. This variant of śalabhāsana works well for stretching the entire digestive tract. It is perfect against increased acidity, loosens the spine, strengthens the entire body, and affects the flow through the suṣumṇā. Like paścimottānāsana, it is an ideal āsana before meditation. It works well against kyphosis and stooping. The āsana is not so difficult, but it is important to grasp the correct technique. Do not perform it like this, moving around, as that can overstrain and stiffen the muscles, causing pinching. Work strongly, but softly. Inhale, and when we come down, do so slowly, maintaining control the entire time. Let’s slowly move upward. Inhale. If you are perpendicular to the floor, you can breathe. If not yet, stay in the posture with full lungs as you like, and on the exhale, lower down. Perform the āsana three times. In śalabhāsana, when you lift the legs perpendicular to the floor, avoid excessive bending in the lumbar area; instead, focus the bend in the thoracic part. Two more times at your own pace, and afterward lie down in ānandāsana. The key is the bending in the chest area, which can be done without much effort if the technique is correct. After completing that, lie down in ānandāsana three times and relax. You may feel tension in the lower back, but it is not dangerous; it is simply because the muscles have been worked and contracted. Strengthening them is good, and it is also good to stretch them a little afterward. For that, pavanamuktāsana with the nose to the knees is best. One cycle, then relax, and you will see the tension in the lower back almost instantly disappear. Right leg: inhale, exhale, inhale, head on the floor, and exhale, stretch out. Second leg: inhale, exhale, inhale and exhale. Relax into ānandāsana. Feel the effect on your body, feel the circulation. Śalabhāsana works well on the kidneys and the back muscles. Most importantly, first feel how you are. Just as every state of consciousness is reflected in our body, when we practice āsanas we can use them to influence our consciousness, thereby correcting not only the body but also specific qualities, such as confidence. Śalabhāsana, being a backward bend that requires strong muscles, works very well on our self-confidence. It strengthens the sense of power and vitality. Feeling strong and powerful is important; if we are weak and tired, we can accomplish little. Physical strength is important; our nerves need to be strong to achieve anything. Sarvāṅgāsana, commonly translated as the candle pose, is actually an āsana beneficial for all limbs. In ancient India, oil lamps were used, not candles; the name "candle" is a Western invention. The posture should be as straight as a candle. Slowly go up: inhale, lift the legs, and support yourself on the shoulder blades, or more precisely, lean on the place where you are most hunched over. The legs are straight, and we are in a relaxed posture. Sarvāṅgāsana is very good for peripheral circulation. However, if you have hyperthyroidism, are under 14 years old, have very high blood pressure or eye pressure, or are menstruating, do not perform this āsana. Otherwise, it effectively helps balance thyroid function, affects venous circulation, stretches the cervical spine, and, just as Paścimottānāsana works on the lower part and sacrum, Sarvāṅgāsana works on issues in the cervical area. If you are very stiff, do not focus on the stiffness, but listen to your body. Stay in the posture as long as you can—shorter in the beginning, and gradually longer with daily practice. It improves circulation to the head, affecting the brain, memory, vision, and hearing. You will notice that your exhalation becomes easier. Do not be afraid; allow a beautiful exhalation to happen. Do not force it, but let the air flow out. We often force the inhalation but are afraid to exhale. In this posture, simply allow one subtle, extended exhalation. This posture works on unburdening the heart, so less pumping is needed to nourish the brain. If you have varicose veins or hemorrhoids, practice this daily. Slowly return, and you can take a slightly deeper inhalation and exhalation. With that exhalation, try to relax the entire body. You will immediately feel your legs; after a few seconds, you will feel circulation beginning to flow into them. We have drawn out old, stagnant blood from the tissues with the help of gravity, and now fresh blood is coming in. This affects all cells and veins, and you will notice the breathing is slightly different. You can also feel the throat area. This āsana works well against throat problems of any kind. Naturally, do not practice it during severe throat inflammation, but daily practice will help reduce and eventually eliminate neck issues. It is good against allergies because it affects the thymus gland. Practice sarvāṅgāsana before spring and throughout the year to combat allergies. It balances thyroid function, which is the first to be affected by stress. Now feel that freshness, that warmth at the base of the neck. As you know, we always have a counterpose. In this posture, there was constriction in the throat area and tightening of the thyroid. Now we move to the other side, turning onto the belly to perform bhuḍaṅgāsana. Bhuḍaṅgāsana involves stretching. As mentioned, do not perform sarvāṅgāsana if you have hyperthyroidism, but you can practice bhuḍaṅgāsana regardless of thyroid problems. Indeed, that is essential. Look once more at bhuḍaṅgāsana. There are a few common mistakes. Unfortunately, it is often performed incorrectly. For the correct bhuḍaṅgāsana, do not bend in the most flexible, pliable part—that is where injury occurs. Imagine you are rolling up a carpet, as if someone is pulling your head and tightening you from the front. You have a chance to create a square and slowly move back. The bending occurs in the chest area. The shoulders go down, the arms are by the body, and we breathe. It works very well on your arms, strengthening them, which is why they should not be straight and stiff. Keep shoulders down and relaxed. Focus on the clavicular area to counteract slouching and stretch the front part. If you breathe a little deeper into the abdomen in this position, you will act more powerfully on the svādhiṣṭhāna cakra. You affect the viśuddhi, the neck muscles, and the kidneys. Release from the lower part, slowly the head. If you have problems with your spine, discs, or if your lower back and spine simply hurt, perform the exercise so that your navel is on the floor. The pubic bone remains on the floor the entire time; imagine pressing the pubic bone down. We can slowly move upward. Now relax in the initial position, as mentioned at the very beginning. You know what you will perform, you know what the āsana looks like, and you know that you will execute it perfectly. Then we slowly begin. Rise up, straighten your chest, shoulders down, breathe a little deeper with the abdomen, and remain in the posture. This is very good for your arms; it will strengthen them, work against flaccid muscles, and give you a sense of strength. Slowly descend downward. Relax in the tiger pose, now facing the opposite direction from what we were doing a moment ago. Now, slowly take your seat. Look at the next āsana we will be practicing: Halāsana, the plow. I will demonstrate so you can see better. The starting position is ānandaśana. Slowly lift the legs up and bring them over the head. Try to keep the spine vertical; do not bend too much in this part. Imagine someone is pulling you upward. The arms are not spread too far apart; this hand position indicates your shoulders are not yet flexible. Your arms should be shoulder-width apart, palms on the floor. After some time, the hands can go above the head, but not in a strained manner. Hold this position and then stretch. When we return, slowly go back. It is a bit harder to come down when you have a microphone. Now we can proceed. Slowly move the legs upward. Bring your legs over your head. It is important to be as level as possible; imagine someone has grasped you by the pelvis. This posture, halāsana, works very well for stretching the back muscles and affects the neck. In this position, exhalation comes even more easily, and you influence the maṇipūra cakra more strongly. Now, imagine you are staying, that someone here is holding on, and we place our hands above the head. To do this, we bend the toes. Step a little more and tighten—excellent. In this way, there is no injury to the spine because it is straight. If we bend too much in one part, the vertebra in that area would suffer. Allow one beautiful exhalation to happen, then slowly return to the breath. The hands remain where they are. You can first lower the knees to the forehead and stay there for a while, but it is appropriate to keep your hands above your head. This shows you how strong your body is and gives you control over the lowering and raising, working with your muscles in time, not with force. Now we again experienced pressure in the throat area; we were hunched over. With this āsana as well, the emphasis was on the exhalation. That means we now need something that will work on the other side: a backward bend, opening the chest for better entry of air. For that, matsyāsana, the fish pose, is excellent. Let us sit down slowly. Sit with crossed legs, daṇḍāsana. First, loosen up the legs a little for a few moments. Bend the right leg, placing the sole on the inner side and the knee on the floor. This is also preparation for meditation. Then we can place the outer edge of the foot on the groin and the knee on the floor. Do not force it; without that strong pressure, because stiffness in the hip and ankle joints concentrates all force in the knee, and we can injure it. Therefore, we must be gentle. This area must never cause us pain. It is better to practice for a few more years and then perform the lotus, rather than doing the lotus once and then nothing more.