The ancient practice of yoga has become the exercise du jour these days, especially during the pandemic everyone has turned to age old remedies and practices to cultivate immunity and a healthy lifestyle. Everyone from A-list celebs to you and us are getting onto the yoga bandwagon — and for good reason.
Practicing yoga has serious health benefits beyond flexibility and balance. Studies have indicated that yoga helps in combatting stress and certain illnesses too!
Fluid yoga flows and poses look lovely on Instagram too! But are you all familiar with the Trikonasana and the Uttana Shishosana? We guess not!
To help everyone from yoga newbies to experienced practitioners, we have Melanie Gordon, a certified yoga instructor, to help put together a definitive guide to yoga poses – a sort of a cheat sheet to mastering the common poses you’re likely to encounter in most classes.
Sphinx pose – Bhujanagasana
Bhujangasana is an asana that is incorporated in most of the yoga lessons you will attend. This pose brings an energising sense of openness to the Yogi. It is an uplifting and energising pose that is excellent for maintaining a harmonious balance for the body and mind. The feeling of openness which it creates helps the body to bring a sense of openness, helping to regenerate the mind with the breath.
Sphinx asana is a prone backbend that can be interpreted differently to help people with bad backs or have back and neck issues. Lifting through the spine’s thoracic area, this poses releases through the shoulders and opens the heart chakra. It is a fantastic stretch for the front of the body. Begin by lying on your stomach with the gaze forwards and push the hands straight in front, keeping the legs stretched out on the mat and the legs together with the ankles touching. Inhale and bring the elbows directly under the shoulders, roll the shoulders back and draw the spine upwards while pushing the pelvis in the yoga mat. Press the forearms and the palms into the floor and lift the head, keeping the eye focus straight ahead, breathing in and out for the count of five before lowering back again. Repeat as necessary. This pose opens the heart to the vastness of the universe, helping the energy flow throughout the body. Avoid over-exerting the neck, and if your back is exceedingly tight, only raise the head as for as you feel comfortable. The counter pose is the child’s pose or embryo pose.
This familiar pose created harmony within the body, and there are adaptations to make sure everyone is making the most of this opening backbend. With the awareness of breath and being truly empathic to your body, the Sphinx pose can be a helpful gateway to your yoga path.