Technique:

1. Lie in prone position. Flatten your toes on the floor. Extend your neck and rest your chin on the floor.
2. Slide both arms beneath your thigh in between your groin and interlock your fingers into a fist, ensuring that your elbows are straight.
3. Inhale, raise both legs above the floor as high as possible without bending the knees while pressing your hands into the ground.
4. Retain the breath.

Variation: - Padmasana Shalabhasana

1. Bring your foot to Padmasana.
2. Slowly walk your hands forward and tilt your legs forward so that your knees are resting on the ground.
3. Keep walking your hands forward and gradually drop your hips to the ground and flatten it.
4. Follow instruction 2 above.
5. Breathe evenly, then inhale, raise your knees above the floor to the highest possible, push your hands into the ground and then breathe evenly again.

Getting out of the pose:

1. Exhale, lower down the legs.

Benefits:

1. Tones the abdomen, thighs and legs.
2. It is a good pose for those with a hunchback.
3. Constipation reliever.
4. Improves the digestive system.

Chakra stimulated and which has to be concentrated on:

Vishuddhi chakra which is situated at the back of the neck behind the throat.

Cautions:

1. Those suffering from back aches, heart disease, high blood pressure or stomach problems should not do this pose.
2. Do not jerk your legs up while raising them off the floor.
3. As for the variation, those with ankle or knee injuries should not attempt it.

Counter Pose:

Balasana, Shashankasana