Sphinx Pose - Salamba Bhujangasana
(sah-LOM-bah boo-jahn-GAHS-uh-nuh)
Sphinx offers a nice pose to stay grounded within the hips and legs, but offers a baby backbend to release the back and open the heart.
Feel the connection with the earth and to the sky, all at once in this beautifully integrated pose. Since Sphinx is performed on the forearms, it takes the pressure off the wrists while providing all of the benefits of Cobra Pose. Stay here for a while and just breathe.
Benefits
Strengthens the spine
Stretches chest and lungs, shoulders, and abdomen
Firms the buttocks
Stimulates abdominal organs
Helps relieve stress
– Benefits from yogajournal.com
Directions
Lying on the belly, place elbows under the shoulders and the forearms on the floor parallel to each other.
Rotate your thighs inwardly by rolling your outer thighs toward the floor while reaching actively through your toes to the wall behind you.
Inhale and lift your upper torso and head away from the floor into a gentle backbend.
Press into the forearms and palms (like you’re dragging the mat toward you) to draw the ribs forward and lift the heart.
Stay for a few breaths and then slowly lower the belly to the floor.
Repeat or rest back in child’s pose.
Modifications
Roll up a towel and arrange it in a U-shape on the floor. Lie with the bottom of the U just above your pubic bone and the legs of the U under the sides of your belly to help support the belly lift.
Practice our pose of the month with us in your next Studio or Virtual class. More details on our pose and theme of the month on our Spiraling to Wellness Member Portal!
