Sphinx
Sphinx pose can help strengthen your spine while preparing you for deeper back bending yoga postures.
What Is Sphinx Pose?
Sphinx pose is a beginner back bending pose in which the body resembles a mythological sphinx, the half-lion creature depicted in pyramids and statues in ancient Egyptian culture. This beginner pose, which is a variation on cobra pose, involves lying on your stomach and using your forearms to support your weight as you enter a light backbend. This supported posture enables you to explore the mobility of your spine and the muscles of your back. This pose can open the chest; where you will feel a front-body stretch from your pelvic bones to your chin.
In Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language that yoga was born out of, Salamba Bhujangasana is a combination of “supported” (Salamba), “cobra” (Bhujanga), and “pose” (asana).
4 Benefits of Sphinx Pose
Sphinx pose is a great preparatory posture for deeper backbends that has many benefits:
Deep backstretch: This therapeutic asana can help counteract a sitting or hunched posture, opens up the lower back, and stretches the psoas muscle in the hips.
Tones the glutes: Sphinx pose encourages yogis to tighten their gluteus muscles, which help support the pelvis, hips, and spine.
Strengthens back muscles: This pose can help relieve back pain by opening up tight areas around the spine and strengthening them at the same time.
Good preparation for deeper backbends: Since your forearms support you in sphinx pose, it’s a great preparation to begin gently practicing deeper backbends like cobra pose or upward-facing dog.
How to Do Sphinx Pose
Lie on your stomach. Lie on your stomach on your yoga mat and push your pubic bone towards the earth. Place your elbows directly underneath your shoulder blades or slightly forward if the bend is too deep in your lower back.
Press firmly into the legs. Press the tops of your feet onto the mat and engage your kneecaps and quadriceps. Reach actively through your toes to the wall behind you. As you move into the pose, be sure to continue lengthening your tail toward your heels to protect your lower back. Your buttocks should be firm but not clenched. While your legs are active, your tongue, eyes, and brain should be quiet.
Lift the upper body. On an inhalation, press firmly into the palms of your hands and forearms and lift your upper body, using your upper back muscles to assist in the lift. Create space between your neck and shoulders and reach forward through the heart. Keep your gaze neutral and press yourself up to your comfort level.
Notice your belly. The final step to building a solid foundation in Sphinx Pose is to bring awareness to your lower belly, the area just above the pubic bone and below the navel. Lightly draw it away from the floor to create a dome that rounds up toward your lower back. This is very subtle—no sucking in, hardening, or rigidity required. This belly lift supports and distributes the curvature of your backbend more evenly along the length of the spine, soothing your lower back and awakening your upper back. This is important. We often hold or lock our entire core when protecting the lower back or pushing too far too soon into a posture. Subtle engagement of the low belly with a softening of the muscles surrounding will allow you to deepen the stretch organically.
Breathe and hold. Breathe deeply and consistently, sending your breath to any part of your body that feels tight. Let your forearms support you and hold the pose for up to one minute. Focus on your alignment and breath quality rather than the depth of your backbend. After practicing sphinx pose, you can move into a child’s pose to counter the backbend.
How to Modify Sphinx Pose
Backbend too deep? Walk the elbows forward to lower the ribs towards the ground.
Elevate your backbend? Add a bolster or rolled up blanket under the elbows.
Support the chest. Place a bolster under your chest to support you for a longer hold
Neck stiffness? Not sure what to do with your neck/head? Place a block on its tallest setting with the edge on the spot between your eyebrows or “third eye”. A great acupressure point and for me, it takes the tension out of my neck allowing me to drop more deeply into the benefits of the pose for the rest of my body.
Sensitivity in the low back? Play with the positioning of your legs. For me, having my feet wider apart, in more of a V shape, creates more space and less compression in my lumbar spine (lower back)
Want to make this an active pose? Come into Sphinx. Play with engaging your low belly by drawing your navel towards your spine. Press firmly into the tops of your feet and quads as you lift into a forearm plank (modified – a bit lower). Flow back and forth between these two postures slowly and with intention.
Want to explore this pose in person? Feel free to pull me aside after class for a few minutes of personalized instruction on how this pose works for YOUR body.