Okay, we’ve done the primary back muscles with Baby Cobra. We’ve done the butt muscles with Bridge. We’ve gone twice ‘round on the core with Dead Bug and some tougher variations on Dead Bug.
Then, we began to stretch with Dragon Lunge and continued with Downward Dog, and Squatted Downward Dog. Last time I foreshadowed Puppy as this weeks posture. Imma gonna bait and switch on you here. Before we gently traction the spine with Puppy, let’s relax it with a gentle, unloaded back bend, using Sphinx.
Sphinx Posture:
- Lie face down, palms below your shoulders
- Push your upper body up by straightening your arms
- Lower your elbows to your mat, with your forearms straight forward and move your hands forward until your upper arms are vertical.
- This will put your elbows directly below your shoulders, forearms flat to the mat and pointing straight forward.
- Let your head droop and your shoulders hunch in
- This will release all the tension in your back, butt and legs
- After a few breaths of total relaxation, reposition your arms until your elbows are at 90°
- Raise your eyes to look straight ahead, chin level
- Relax your back and let gravity do the work.
At this point, the only things you’ve got working are your arms and neck. Your arms are supporting all the weight of your upper body, and your neck is keeping your head vertical.
If you want to add a bit more to it, gently pull back on your elbows. This will add a very small amount of work to your back, and give your upper spine a bit more bend.
And…that’s it. Sphinx posture, a gentle back bend along the entire spine. Next time, seriously, the other dog posture, Puppy. Promise.
