Salamba Bhujangasana (Sphinx Pose) is a beginner level yoga pose that requires a moderate level of flexibility and strength in the body. This yoga pose strengthens your spine and increases flexibility in your hips while calming your mind and relieving stress.
In this ultimate guide to Salamba Bhujangasana, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the sphinx yoga pose, from what its benefits are to how to execute it correctly.
Read on to discover the vital information of this pose so you can try it at house or in your next yoga class!
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How To Do Sphinx Yoga Pose?
- Lay down on the ground so your stomach touches the ground and fully extends your body.
- Your arms must be placed in such a way that your elbows stay close to your ears, and your arms should be fully extended forward.
- As you breathe in, lift your upper body by using your core muscles.
- When you come up, your arms should be placed directly under your shoulders, keeping them at a 90-degree angle and ensuring that your elbows are lined up under your shoulders.
- Keep your head in a straight line so you can align your spine correctly.
- Engage your core, legs, feet, and arms while breathing deeply.
- You will maintain a slight arch in your upper thoracic area in this pose.
- Breathe as you meditate on a single point before your eyes.
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Benefits of Salamba Bhujangasana
Better balance and stability, improved shoulder strength, enhanced flexibility of back and trunk muscles, blood circulation is increased, and respiration is deepened.
Also known as sphinx posture yoga, sphinx pose in yoga or sphinx stretch, salamba bhujangasana is an effective asana for activating different body parts without feeling any strain on them.
It improves your posture by strengthening your shoulders and helps you become better at performing other asanas. Moreover, it opens up all chest channels that help you exhale deeply.
The main purpose of salamba bhujangasana is to relieve yourself of low energy levels, especially after intense workouts with maximum tension in abdominal muscles.
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Sphinx Yoga Pose: Unlocking the Benefits of a Powerful Pose
Sphinx pose or Salamba Bhujangasana can help you with several different health problems and physical issues. You can see why it’s important to know the benefits of the Sphinx pose and how it can help you even if you don’t enjoy doing it!
Keep reading to find out more about this pose and its benefits!
Tones The Glutes
Sphinx pose is a beginner yoga pose that requires strength, balance and flexibility. Sphinx strengthens your glutes and thigh muscles, giving you shapely, powerful legs.
It can also help tone your abdominals which helps to create a flatter belly. Because the sphinx pose targets these muscles in addition to many others, it can aid weight loss by enhancing your metabolism as well as boosting your energy levels.
Beneficial For Deep Backstretch
Sphinx pose is a deep backstretch that helps strengthen and stretch your lower back and spine muscles. It also encourages lengthening through your spine, bringing greater flexibility to each vertebra.
This reduces stress on your spine as well as its ability to keep you flexible when you are in the sphinx pose.
The sphinx pose can also encourage better spinal alignment by stretching ligaments and tendons along your backside while reducing low-back pain.
Get Better Posture
A slouched or stooped posture can cause neck and back pain, but practising the sphinx pose regularly can help strengthen your upper body and improve your overall pose.
This pose strengthens your shoulders, arms, spine, thighs and hips—particularly your glutes and hamstrings—and will also help lengthen your spine.
It’s great for improving flexibility in people who sit for long periods at their desk jobs.
Regular practice can help balance out imbalances that may have been caused by repetitive motion injuries and give you more strength to meet day-to-day challenges with ease.
Relax and Soothe Your Mind
The sphinx pose is relaxing because it stretches out your spine and opens up your chest. Your heart can take in more oxygen, and your lungs will be able to breathe in more air, which may help you feel calmer.
In addition, your mind may wander from thoughts that have been on your mind all day. It’s also possible that you’ll find yourself thinking about nothing at all—just being able to unwind is an incredible benefit of the sphinx pose.
Provide Strength In Back Muscles
First and foremost, the sphinx pose helps build strength in back muscles. Over time, strong back muscles can improve your posture and help you get rid of rounded shoulders that are caused by sitting at a desk all day.
It’s not just about aesthetics, either; strong back muscles can even protect against injury.
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Common Mistakes While Performing Sphinx Pose Yoga
During salamba bhujangasana, a common mistake is not engaging and tensing all your core muscles. Another common mistake is not holding your pose long enough.
Holding a pose for longer periods can help stimulate your body in a way that conventional exercise does not.
Staying in poses for at least five minutes can allow you to fully energize certain organs and stimulate blood flow without causing fatigue or exhaustion.
You can hold the sphinx posture yoga for a longer period because it is pretty simple and requires only a moderate amount of flexibility.
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Precautions While Practicing Salamba Bhujangasana
Being one of the most significant yoga postures, the sphinx pose benefits your whole body differently. But there are some precautions to consider while performing sphinx pose as it may have some health-related issues like a neck injury, backache, shoulder pains etc.
The list of precautions that you should follow while practising sphinx pose is provided below:
- Consult with your doctor before practising salamba bhujangasana.
- Don’t perform salamba bhujangasana if you have any kind of injury or pain in your shoulders, lower back or knees.
- Keep a gap between both legs and arms during practice; otherwise, you will feel discomfort in the spine and shoulders.
- If you consistently suffers from lower back pain, don’t put pressure on the lower abdomen area during practice; otherwise, it will worsen the pain.
- If you feel any kind of pain during training, then stop doing immediately and rest for some time until the pain goes away completely.
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Essential Points To Remember While Practicing Salamba Bhujangasana
- Don’t force your body into any asana (yoga pose) if you feel any pain in your knee, neck or spine.
- Always try to maintain a straight line from your head to heels during Salamba Bhujangasana (sphinx pose).
- Practice Salamba Bhujangasana (Sphinx pose) regularly for at least five minutes every day to maximise its benefits.
- You can also practice other yoga poses like Halasana, Shalabhasana, and Dhanurasana along with Salamba Bhujangasana for better results.
- Perform Pranayama before practicing Salamba Bhujangasana for getting maximum benefits of Pranayama too!
FAQs
Q.1. What is sphinx pose good for?
Ans. Sphinx pose is a beginner level hip-opening and upper back stretch that will help you achieve better posture and core strength. Incorporate a sphinx pose into your yoga practice or as a standalone stretch to increase your hips, shoulders, and back flexibility.
Q.2. What is the difference between the sphinx pose and the cobra pose?
Ans. A cobra pose requires you to lift your upper body while using the strength of the wrists. A sphinx yoga pose requires you to lift your back slightly while taking the help of your arms and elbows. To do a sphinx yoga pose, you have to lift up and support yourself with just your arms and elbows.
Q.3. What is Sphinx in yoga?
Ans. In yoga, the Sphinx pose is also known as salamba bhujangasana. It is a beginner pose that stretches and strengthens your lower back, glutes, and spine. Its ability to help with breathing can also benefit those suffering from anxiety or depression. It also stimulates abdominal organs by encouraging diaphragmatic breathing, which allows you to relax during or after a stressful day. For best results, while practising the sphinx pose, it is recommended that you follow a well-balanced yoga practice.