On the flip side, if it triggers numbness or tingling in your butt or lower body; pain that moves to one side of your back; or pain that radiates down into your butt, down your leg, or in your foot, that’s a sign you’re irritating a nerve. In that case, you should stop doing the pose and get checked out by a physical therapist or doctor, Dr. Salay says. (Back pain aside, there are a few other instances in which sphinx should be avoided—more on that in a sec.)
How is sphinx different from cobra pose?
At first glance, sphinx pose and cobra may seem like one in the same. After all, they both involve lying on your stomach while extending your spine. But there are a few subtle differences. One being that sphinx involves resting your forearms on the floor while in cobra, just your palms are grounded.
This upper-body positioning impacts how much you extend your low back in each pose. In cobra, you can arch your low back into its full range of motion, while sphinx involves less movement there, which makes it more beginner-friendly. That also means that sphinx is a more gentle, calming pose that you can hold longer than cobra, Dr. Salay says. “You can really relax into it,” she adds.
What are some mistakes people make with sphinx pose?
There are some common form errors you’ll want to avoid in sphinx pose. The first? Tensing through your lower body as you hold the posture. “The upper body does need to work in this pose, but not the lower body,” Dr. Salay explains. In fact, if you squeeze your glutes or leg muscles, you’ll be shortchanging your spinal extension, she says. Instead, focus on relaxing those lower-body muscles on the ground.
Another no-no is rounding your shoulders forward or hiking them up toward your ears. This creates unnecessary tension in your upper traps (an upper back muscle) and can irritate your neck, Dr. Salay says. Sidestep it by pressing through your elbows and pulling your shoulders down and away from your ears.
One more mistake is holding your breath. “You never want to hold your breath in your yoga poses as it will raise your blood pressure,” Dr. Salay says. Instead, focusing on steadily inhaling and exhaling through your nose, she advises.
Finally, sphinx isn’t for everyone. You should skip it if it causes any type of pain, or the specific numbness and tingling we previously mentioned. It’s also not recommended for people with certain conditions, including spinal fractures, diastasis recti, hernias, lumbar spondylolisthesis, glaucoma, uncontrolled high blood pressure, and recent surgery, Dr. Salay says. Same goes for folks who are pregnant, she adds.
When should you do sphinx pose?
Since sphinx provides a gentle mobility boost to your spine, it can be a good one to do if you’ve been sitting for a long time or at the end of the day, Dr. Salay says. But before you jump into it, get up and move around a little bit first, she advises. That way, you’ll increase blood flow and warm up your joints and muscles, which will make this pose feel more comfortable.