Part XVII · Yoga poses
Sphinx Pose: A Gentle Backbend You Can Rest In
Lie face down, elbows under your shoulders, chest up on your forearms, hips and legs heavy. A backbend your arms hold, so your back can rest in it.
The lesson
- 01
Lie face down
Legs long and hip-width apart, tops of the feet on the floor. Rest your forehead down for a breath before you come up.
- 02
Elbows under shoulders
Place your forearms flat and parallel, palms down, elbows directly beneath your shoulders. Then lift your chest onto them.
- 03
Shoulders away from your ears
Press your forearms lightly into the floor, just enough that your shoulders stay wide and away from your ears. That is the only work: everything below it rests.
- 04
Heavy from the belly down
Belly, hips and legs rest on the floor and your glutes stay soft. Let your lower back sag into the bend instead of holding yourself up.
- 05
Neck long
Look forward and slightly down so the back of your neck stays long. Breathe slowly, feeling your belly press into the floor.
- 06
The test
A gentle stretch across your belly and the front of your hips, and an easy bend in your back, is the pose. If your lower back pinches, slide your elbows a little forward to make the bend shallower. If it still pinches, lie flat.
Watch for
- Elbows behind your shoulders. The bend gets steeper and your lower back pinches.
- Sinking between your shoulders. They rise to your ears, your neck shortens and the upper back stops bending.
- Squeezing your glutes or lifting your hips. Your lower back stiffens against the bend instead of letting it happen.
- Tipping your head back to look up. Your neck bends and your back does not.
Is Sphinx Pose good for lower back pain? For some backs, yes: physiotherapists use the same propped-on-the-elbows position for some kinds of low back pain. For others, bending backwards makes it worse, and no study has tested Sphinx itself. If it eases or stays the same, keep going; if the pain sharpens or spreads down a leg, stop.
What is the difference between Sphinx and Cobra? In Sphinx you rest on your forearms, so the bend is shallow and your back can relax. In Cobra you lift onto your hands, the bend is deeper and your arms and back muscles work more.
Why does Sphinx Pose hurt my lower back? Usually the bend is too steep for your back today: elbows behind your shoulders, or glutes clenched. Slide your elbows forward until you rest on your lower ribs, soften your glutes, and the pinch usually goes.
How long should you hold Sphinx Pose? In the Range · 01 routine you stay two minutes, and later ninety seconds, with your lower back sagging. In Post-Ride Yoga · 01 it is one stop on a loop through Child's Pose, Puppy and Sphinx that you go round for three minutes. There is no daily target: stay in it when your training day has one of those routines.
Next
Locust→It follows Sphinx in Range · 01. Still face down, you lift your chest, arms and legs off the floor, so the bend you just rested in is now held up by your own muscles.
From the book
22Range lets you rest on your line→