Sphinx Pose Explained

Transcript

hi everyone welcome to Echo yoga my name is Esther today I'm going to show you a yin yoga pose Sphinx pose it's also used in the regular yoga but um I'd like to do it Yin Style just because it's so healthy so we're going to come and lie on our belly with our elbows underneath the shoulders a little bit more towards the top of the mat then back so we don't want the elbows too close in because there's too much pressure on the shoulder joints and this is the pose really we're going to hold it for 5 minutes and that's all we're going to do today so if you're not in it yet please just join me watching looking at this video just me being here is going to be extremely boring so join me so this is one of the healthiest things you can do for your back on a regular basis and it really really is the way it is because it when we grow older and everybody grows older you're losing a little bit your lower back arch and that's causing so much trouble in your life so doing this pose regularly you can see how there's an arch in that lower back maintains that Arch and prevents it from prevents you from losing it um a lot of problems in your back will actually be solved if you do this pose regularly I promise so if you and I would really suggest practicing this post 3 to 5 minutes and just be make this your meditation so you're just breathing but if you really don't think you can do that you can of course read a book sometimes I want to stay in it for 20 minutes and after 5 minutes of doing nothing I'd like to do something so I could just read a book or you know you could watch TV everybody his own her own thing but um yeah just stay here if this is really easy for you well if it's hard let's start with that one if it's hard for you you could lower a little bit and be here there's still an arch in the lower back so you make it to that height that's really okay for you to be um in time you'll move up I started quite low myself because I had lots of lower back issues when I started yoga if it's easy you could put blocks or a bolster underneath your elbows and get up higher a little bit you can make your bring your palms together you can have your hands like that anything goes really so what do you do with your attention if you want to meditate you you be with your breath and you can deepen your breath a little bit and if the lower back is really vulnerable you could potentially engage your lower stomach muscles just a tiny little bit to make it easier on the back if that feels good and in the meantime just breathe breathe a little deeper and lengthen your breath make sure you're relaxed the face is relaxed the jaw is and stay with it just stay with it a little longer and observe and breathe observe whatever Sensations are there observe any thoughts thoughts of are the five minutes past yet can I come out yet just observe it and keep with a breath I promise you you'll feel better after your back but also your whole being okay so the five minutes are almost p and to come out here just slowly slowly lower yourself to the floor and you rest your head on one side or the forehead on the arms you just stay here for another few breaths just to loosen the body out breathe into the back observe how you feel and and then if your body needs it if your back feels quite vulnerable you can also shift after you're ready to child pose for a moment hips to heels forehead to the arms or the floor and then from there whenever you're ready just continue with the rest of your day so remember one of the healthiest things you can do for your back so really worth it to practice as often as you can it lifts your energy a little bit because there is a back bend involved and um you'll feel better assured okay thanks for joining me Namaste thank you