Pose library · Salamba Bhujangasana · reviewed by a teacher
Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)
Salamba means supported and bhujanga means serpent, so the name is supported cobra. You lie on your belly and prop yourself up on your forearms, a lower and gentler cousin of Cobra Pose.
Pronunciation and meaning
Salamba Bhujangasana: suh-LUM-buh boo-jung-GAHS-uh-nuh. In Salamba the stress falls on LUM, and in Bhujangasana on GAHS.
Salamba means supported and bhujanga means serpent, so the name is supported cobra. You lie on your belly and prop yourself up on your forearms, a lower and gentler cousin of Cobra Pose.
How to do Sphinx Pose
- Lie on your belly with your legs about hip-width apart and the tops of your feet resting on the mat.
- Bring your elbows under your shoulders, or a little in front of them, with your forearms parallel and palms down.
- Press your forearms lightly into the floor to lift your chest, and let your shoulders slide away from your ears.
- Let your belly and legs rest on the mat, and allow the lower back to take a gentle curve without squeezing the buttocks.
- Look forward and slightly down so the back of the neck stays long. In a Yin practice, stay for two to five minutes.
- To come out, slide your forearms forward, lower your chest and rest your forehead on your stacked hands for a few breaths.
Teacher's note from Joahnna Lee
“If your lower back starts to pinch, walk your elbows forward. A lower Sphinx is still Sphinx.”
“Let the buttocks and legs go soft. I want the curve to come from resting, not from squeezing.”
“Draw the chest forward between the upper arms, as though someone were gently leading you through a doorway.”
Make it easier
- Place a folded blanket under the hip bones if they press uncomfortably into the floor.
- For a smaller curve in the lower back, walk the elbows forward until the forearms reach out ahead of you.
- For a long hold, lay a bolster crossways under the armpits and rest the chest on it, so the arms can relax completely.
- Seal, with straight arms, is a stronger variation. Leave it for later, and only if Sphinx feels easy on the lower back.
Pregnancy and after birth
Pregnancy. Avoid. Lying face down puts pressure on the abdomen, so leave Sphinx out once you know you are pregnant unless your OB or midwife tells you otherwise. For a gentle lift through the chest instead, try Cat-Cow on hands and knees, or sit tall and draw the shoulders back.
After birth. Adapt. Wait for your OB or midwife to clear you, and after a caesarean birth wait until lying on the belly feels comfortable. Tender breasts may like a folded blanket under the chest. If you have a gap between the abdominal muscles, ask your OB, midwife or a women's health physiotherapist before you add backbends.
Read Joahnna Lee's notes on yoga in pregnancy and after birth.
Common mistakes
- Placing the elbows behind the shoulders, which drops the chest and crowds the lower back.
- Hunching the shoulders up by the ears. Press the floor away slightly to make room for the neck.
- Tipping the head back to look at the ceiling. Keep the gaze low so the neck is not the part doing the backbend.
- Squeezing the buttocks and thighs hard, which makes the lower back feel tighter over a long hold.
Sphinx is a low, supported backbend, and in Yin yoga it is often the first backbend of a practice because the forearms carry so much of the weight. It is also a comfortable way to meet Cobra Pose for the first time.
In a Yin practice it is held for a few minutes, with a folded blanket under the hip bones if the floor feels hard.
Its Yin neighbour for the upper back is Melting Heart, also known as Puppy Pose, where the chest sinks toward the floor instead of lifting.
Lifting the chest and the legs with the arms off the floor is Locust Pose, which builds back strength.
Sphinx Pose questions
What is the difference between Sphinx Pose and Cobra Pose?
In Sphinx you rest on your forearms, so the arms carry the weight and the backbend is low and gentle. In Cobra the hands are under the shoulders and the back muscles lift the chest, so it is more active and usually held for a few breaths.
How long should I hold Sphinx Pose?
In a Yin practice, two to five minutes. As part of a more active practice, five to ten breaths is enough. Come out whenever the lower back pinches.