Yin Yoga: Sphinx Pose

This short demonstration talks you through how to practice sphinx pose. Sphinx is especially beneficial for releasing tension from the upper back, shoulders, and abdominal area. This is a video demonstration of the posture which is covered in my audio course 'Yin Yoga For Beginners,' so if you enjoy the practice and would like to go a little deeper, you might like to listen to the whole course.

Transcript

We're going to learn Sphinx pose today. This posture is done lying on your belly. So come to lie on your front and bring your legs apart, So that the feet are a bit wider than your hips. The wider you have your legs, The easier this will feel on your lower back. So if you feel any tension in your lower back, Open your legs a bit more. Bring the elbows under your shoulders and have the forearms parallel to the sides of the mat, So that your chest and shoulders are lifted. To make this less intense, The further forward your elbows and forearms go, The less intense the stretch. So you can move your elbows forward to a place that feels comfortable. Or you might prefer to stack your arms in front of you and rest your forehead onto your arms. This will still be giving you the gentle backbending movement. You can keep your head looking straight in front or relax the chin to the chest to stretch into the back of the neck. And now relax into the posture. Release any tension or gripping in the thighs or the buttocks and observe. Observe what arises. Feel each sensation. And if your mind starts to become busy and you find yourself thinking about the what's or why's of something you feel, Or if you find yourself becoming distracted and thinking about other things, Just very gently bring your awareness back to the sensations that you feel in your body. And now slowly roll down onto your belly and turn over onto your back. Take some breaths here on your back, Observing any feelings, Any sensations, Any effects from the posture. Thank you for joining today's session.