An Easy Guide to Yoga Sphinx, or Salamba Bhujangasana
Yoga Sphinx, or Salamba Bhujangasana, can be either active or passive, but either way, it stimulates the abdomen, and strengthens the spine. As this pose also opens the chest, increasing oxygen flow –it’s great for practicing meditation or mindfulness.
Yoga Sphinx is a great pose in which to hang out. So simple, and so good for stretching out the spine and tight shoulders.
Bonus - this yoga pose will also firm your bottom.
Watch a clip for this yoga pose
How to do Yoga Sphinx, or Salamba Bhujangasana, in easy steps
Step 1:
Lie on your front, bringing your feet, calves and thighs together and sink your pelvis down into the floor.
Step 2:
Stretch your toes out behind you.
Step 3:
Place your forearms flat on the floor facing forwards, with your elbows underneath your shoulders
Step 4:
Carefully lift your upper body off the floor whilst stretching your toes out behind you, taking any stress off the back.
Step 5:
Lengthen the tailbone towards the heels.
Step 6:
Gaze forwards.
Step 7:
Stay in this pose for around 10 breaths. To release, come down to lying on an exhalation.
Yoga pose category: Lying face down
Level: 1
Although this is a beginners’ yoga pose, some yogis might find it uncomfortable on the hips as they arch the back. Try placing a cushion underneath the hips to support to area, so that you can meditate without discomfort or distractions.
Sanskrit words meaning:
Salamba - supported
Bhujang - serpent
Asana - pose
Yoga pose health benefits:
Like all yoga poses, Yoga Sphinx has many health benefits. Use it to help with the following health conditions:
Fatigue
Stress
Anxiety
Yoga pose contraindications:
Don’t practice Yoga Sphinx if you have any of the following health conditions:
Back injury
Sign up to our newsletter to receive 10% off your first order, events & exclusive subscriber only offers here
Lucy Edge
is a yoga advocate and writer with three yoga books to her name, including the beloved travel memoir Yoga School Dropout. She writes regularly for the national press, has authored over 150 guides to types of yoga and yoga poses, discovered nearly 250 proven health benefits of yoga through her painstaking classification of 300 clinical studies, and collected more than 500 personal testimonials to the real life benefits of yoga. She is also the creator of our yoga shop – YogaClicks.Store – handpicking yoga brands that are beautifully made by yogis committed to environmental and social sustainability.
