Back-bending sphinx pose can’t help bring to mind the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt. I like using that enormous limestone statue as inspiration when holding the posture in a yin yoga practice: level gaze, long neck, relaxed shoulders, and unstrained stillness.
Dogs are also phenomenal models for sphinx. My dog, Sofie, often flops down into sphinx to wait for the next bit of excitement to cross her path.
In a yin yoga practice, the purpose of sphinx is not to bend your lower back as much as you possibly can, but to use your arms and belly to support the weight of your torso and let your back soften. It’s even better if you can convince your neck, shoulders, hips, and legs to relax as well.
Resist the temptation to come into your deepest back bend; instead, find a comfortable compression through your low back. You can always intensify the posture as you sink into it. Likewise, you can always reduce the intensity if you’re getting warning signs that it’s becoming too much.
The gentlest sphinx is simply resting flat on your stomach with your chin on your hands – although that’s certainly resembles the sphinx in Egypt a lot less!
Sphinx
Why it’s good
- Compresses the lower back, which counters our strong forward-folding tendencies
- we rarely bend backwards in the course of our daily lives, but often bend forwards (e.g. while driving, working at a computer, reading, lifting groceries/kids/dogs)
- Helps to create a flexible spine and tone back muscles
- Stretches stomach muscles and helps open the throat and upper chest
- Can release tension from the shoulder blades/mid-back
- Aids in detoxification
- releasing the pose give the kidneys a fresh supply of blood, which that flushes out toxins
How to do it
- Start by lying facedown
- let your belly press into the mat as you breathe
- Draw your forearms under your chest with elbows bent
- keep your elbows ahead of your shoulders
- Rest the weight of your torso onto your forearms and relax your shoulders
- feel your shoulders drop away from your ears; allow your shoulder blades to soften
- Keep your chest and collar bones open
- feel your lungs expand in all directions with every inhale and let go of tension with every exhale
- Experiment with the positioning of your arms, hands, legs, and head until you find the right balance of compression in your low back, stretch along your front, and ease through your shoulders
- To decrease compression in your low back:
- draw your elbows further away from your chest, letting your torso come closer to the floor
- widen your legs and/or your elbows/forearms
- To increase compression in your low back
- bring your elbows closer to your chest (just as long as they’re still ahead of your shoulders)
- narrow your legs
- rest your forearms on a bolster or block to bring your chest further from the floor
- bend your knees and let your heels come towards your buttocks
- To reduce stress on your shoulders and release tension in your upper back
- rest your torso on a folded blanket, block, or bolster
- place a soft, small weight (like an eye pillow or bean bag) between your shoulder blades to encourage them to relax
- To stretch the back of your neck and stimulate your throat
- drop your chin towards your chest without compressing into your collar bones – don’t round your upper back
- To stretch your throat and compress the back of your neck
- turn your face towards the ceiling, being sure to keep your jaw and throat relaxed
- To decrease compression in your low back:
- Keep your head centred between your shoulders and your allow your eyes to close or your gaze to soften
- Hold sphinx pose for up to six minutes
- adjust your head/arm/leg positioning as necessary to intensify or lessen the compression in your low back, but resist fidgeting
To come out of sphinx:
- For a little extra stretch, inhale and draw the crown of your head upwards, without letting your shoulders come towards your ears
- As you exhale, gently slide your elbows outwards, slowly lowering your torso to the mat
- Rest on your belly for a few moments, enjoying the flow of energy and fluid through your low back
Child’s pose is good counter to release the lower back, but some people find that simply lying on their stomachs and letting their breath move to the area that was compressed in sphinx is enough to relieve low-back tension.