This 15-Second Stretch Is the Mobility Move Your Back Has Been Aching For

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Sphinx pose might not be the most well-known yoga posture out there—chances are, moves like plank, downward dog, and child’s pose more readily come to mind—but it’s really got a lot to offer, especially for anyone wanting to better their back health.

“Sphinx pose is one of my favorites,” Tara Salay, DPT, a physical therapist and registered yoga instructor, tells SELF. This posture—which most often shows up in vinyasa-style classes— involves lying on your stomach with your forearms on the ground while raising your upper body off the floor and gently arching your back. Hanging out in this position offers simultaneous stretching and strengthening, while it also gently boosts your spinal mobility, which can bring on big payoffs in return.

Here, we dig into all the must-know info on this posture, including its awesome benefits, how it plays into back health, the key differences from cobra pose, common mistakes to avoid, and how to work it into your routine. Then, we share step-by-step instructions so you can sphinx it up on your own!

What is sphinx pose so good for?

Spend some time in sphinx and you’ll get stretching, strengthening, and mobility work in. Specifically, you’ll lengthen out your abdominal muscles while firing up your shoulders, since those are what help stabilize your body. Most importantly, though, you’ll arch your low back, a motion known as lumbar extension.

That’s key, since most of us go about daily life with our spines in either a neutral position or in flexion (i.e. rounded, which is the opposite of extension and happens when we bend forward). Because of this, many people feel tightness when they move into extension, Dr. Salay says. For optimal back health, though, for most of us, it’s important to be able to comfortably move your spine in various directions. So by arching your low back with exercises like sphinx, you can improve range of motion in your spine, ultimately boosting your flexibility and mobility there, Dr. Salay explains. And better mobility can bring on a host of other benefits, including reduced risk of injury, improved performance in the gym, and generally just feeling less achy and stiff in your body.

Plus, sphinx is a “nice introductory pose” to lumbar extension because it only moves you through part of your range of motion there, she explains. That makes it “less intense” than other postures like high cobra pose or upward dog, for example, Dr. Salay explains.

Is sphinx pose bad for your back?

In many cases, quite the opposite! Like we mentioned, this pose can bolster your back health by improving spinal mobility and flexibility.

But there’s an asterisk here. For some people, sphinx pose isn’t such a great idea, and how your spine feels in the pose can determine whether it’s right for you (and your back). In general, if sphinx causes tightness in the center of your low back but it goes away when you move out of the pose, then sphinx is likely okay for you to do, Dr. Salay says.

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.

For anyone new to this move, Dr. Salay suggests holding it for 15 to 20 seconds. Over time, work your way up to 30-second holds, repeated for three total rounds. Need a more low-key variation? Try this modification: Once you’re lying on your stomach, place one hand on top of the other and then rest your forehead on your hands. “This will be a super gentle amount of lumbar extension,” Dr. Salay says.

How to do sphinx pose:

Ready to experience sphinx for yourself? Here’s a visual of the pose, along with step-by-step instructions for mastering it.

Katie Thompson

Lie on your stomach with hands in front of you, palms facing down, and legs extended. This is the starting position.
Press through your elbows to lift your chest off the floor. Pull your shoulders down away from your ears.
Hold for 15 to 20 seconds, then return to the starting position. As you become more comfortable with the pose, work your way up to a 30-second hold, repeated for three total rounds. Make sure you’re breathing naturally in and out through your nose.

Demoing the move above is Heart Gardener, a certified queer, trans and fat yoga instructor and social worker in training based in Queens, New York.