Lower back, upper back, neck and hips

Locust: On Bolster

The bolster supports your body so you strengthen your back, glutes, and hamstrings with a smaller, easier lift: the gentlest way into this family.

How to do it

1. 1

   Lay a bolster across your mat and lie over it

   Face down, with the bolster under your hips and lower ribs. Legs long behind you, forehead resting on the mat or on your hands.

2. 2

   Let the support do the first part

   The bolster already holds your chest a little higher, so the lift you add on top is much smaller than it would be on the floor.

3. 3

   Add a small lift of the chest

   Arms stay alongside your body and the lift stays gentle. Your legs can stay down completely, which makes this the softest way into this family.

4. 4

   Keep the gaze down and the throat soft

   Look at the mat rather than forward. Reduce the lift height at any point, there is nothing to prove here.

5. 5

   Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, then rest down

   Lower onto the bolster and stay there for a few breaths before repeating or coming off.

What to watch for

Using the bolster as a launch pad and going higher than you would on the floor. The support is there to shorten the range, not to add to it, so keep the extra lift small.

Ways to adjust it

• Reduce lift height
• Arms alongside
• Gaze down cue
• Legs stay down

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Locust Pose versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

• Locust: Block Between Thighs
• Locust: Chest Only
• Locust: Classic
• Locust: Single Leg

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.