How To Do: Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)

Sphinx Pose is an introductory backbend for beginners that opens the chest and lower back. It also serves as an alternative to Cobra Pose if you have pain in your wrists.

Sphinx Pose is especially beneficial in our modern lifestyles of sitting for prolonged periods of time. It will help to strengthen the spine and glutes while lengthening the abdominal muscles.

This beginner friendly pose is suitable for people with wrist pain or carpal tunnel syndrome since it is performed on the forearms and doesn’t put any pressure on the wrists.

Sphinx Pose can help accentuate the natural arch of our spine and strengthen the shoulder blade muscles and lower back. Having strong shoulder blade muscles can help reduce lower back pain and help align the spine into its proper position.

Also Try These Similar Poses:

How To Do: Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)

Lie on your stomach, face down. Your legs side by side and toes pointing back.
Now place your elbows directly under your shoulders, with your forearms on the floor parallel to each other. Point your middle fingers directly forward.
Press your legs and the tops of your feet firmly into the ground. Lift your kneecaps and engage your quads.
Taking a deep breath in, press your pubic bone into the floor. Press firmly into the palms and forearms to lift the upper body while keeping your navel on the floor.
Reach forward with the chest and keep your gaze neutral and the neck long. Create space between your shoulders and ears. Keep your chin down.
Keep your elbows tucked into your sides. Drop your shoulder blades down your back.
Breathe deep and easy and hold the pose.
Your forearms should support your upper body while you hold the pose.
Hold for 5-10 breathes. Then exhale and slowly lower your torso and head to the floor.

Modifications & Variations For Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)

If you have pain in your neck or shoulders or are very stiff in this area you can do this pose standing against a wall. This is also a suitable modification if you are pregnant.

How to do it:

Stand facing a wall.
Place your forearm and palms on the wall, shoulder width apart.
Align your elbows with your shoulders to form a 90-degree angle.
Your chest should be away from the wall.
Press your forearms into the wall and draw your shoulder blades into your upper back to create a slight backbend.
Hold for a few breaths and return to neutral.

Modification:

You can place a pillow directly under the lower abdomen or rest your chest on a pillow if the stretch is too intense in your lower back or abdomen.

Variations:

Seal Pose Variation – Experience a deeper back bend by moving your hands slightly closer towards your body and straightening the arms.

Tips for Beginners when Performing Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana):

Practicing Sphinx Pose can warm-up the spine and lengthen it, helping to prepare it for deeper backbends.

Remember the following tips when practicing this pose:

Don’t push your body to achieve a deeper back bend. Only lift your chest as far as you can without feeling pain.
To get the full benefits of the pose focus on the even distribution of the curve in your spine and the ability to breathe smoothly. Rather than the depth of the backbend.
Your hips should always be in contact with the floor.
You can lessen the intensity of the backbend by moving your elbows further forward.
Keep the base of your neck relaxed.

The Benefits of Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana):

Sphinx Pose counteract all the sitting and hunched positions we are in during the day by rebalancing the natural curve in your lower back.
It opens the lower back and stretches the psoas muscle and hip flexors. It’s also a good stretch for the chest, shoulder, and abdominal muscles.
This pose strengthens the glute and back muscles.
Sphinx Pose relieves back pain by strengthening the muscles around the spine and relieving tightness in the back.
The pressure placed on the abdomen stimulates the abdominal organs and improve digestion.
It helps to relieve the body of stress and anxiety.
Sphinx pose helps to calm the nervous system and relieve fatigue.

Breathing in Sphinx Pose:

Once you are in the pose, you can incorporate pranayama (yoga breathing) into the posture.

Breath work calms the sympathetic nervous system and rewires the pain response in the brain. This breathing exercise suppresses the fight or flight response and helps to relieve you of stress and anxiety.

Contraindications and Cautions:

Proper alignment and technique are essential aspects of yoga, it’s also essential to a safe and effective yoga practice.

Don’t practice sphinx Pose if you have a recent or prolonged injury to the arms, shoulders, back or abdomen.
Women who are pregnant should avoid practicing this pose on the floor given its belly down nature, rather practice the standing version I explained above.
Always work within your own range of limits and abilities.
You might experience moderate to intense compression in the lower back, but if you experience any sharp pain or a pinching sensation then come out of the pose.

Yogi Challenge:

Give this muscle conditioning exercise a try to level-up your practice.

Start in Dolphin Plank, then lower directly into Sphinx Pose while exhaling. Then return to Dolphin Plank. Repeat as many times as you can with perfect form.