Sphinx Pose: Ardha Bhujangasana – Hugger Mugger

Snakes get a bad blow. Admittedly, the bites of poisonous varieties can wreak deadly. But most snakes are not toxic. Some are even beneficial, especially in our sites and our gardens. As predators, snakes help control the populations of hungry pests who consume our fruits and vegetables. Today, we will explore the advantages of Ardha Bhujangasana (half-cobra pose or installation of sphinx).

One would think that the pose of half of Cobra “poses” could be a way to avoid frightening connotations. But I think it has more to do with the position of the arm that imitates Giza’s great sphinx. In fact, in India, cobras are not symbols of evil. Instead, they are celebrated every summer at a festival called Nag Pachami. There, thousands of cobras are gathered and brought to the temple of Shiva to be nourished in milk and delighted with flowers. Humans spend a day dancing in the streets lined with snake charm. When the festivities end, the cobras are released unscathed in their habitat.

Advantages of cobra and the installation of sphinxes

The installation of Cobra (Bhujangasana) and its cousin, installation of sphinx, are two variations in the same pose. As such, their advantages are similar. For practitioners with back problems such as scoliosis, hernia disks or other back injuries, however, the full cobra is contraindicated. In these cases, moving slowly and fully in the installation of sphinxes can allow a practitioner to take advantage of the advantages of Cobra, without the risks.

Bhujangasana looks like a high cobra to strike – or to dance. When Cobras dances, they raise a third of their body length, while other two thirds remain anchored. It is this land of the majority of the lower body which allows the upper body to rise to the sky. The same goes for humans who practiced cobra installation. It is the landing of the lower body that creates lightness in the upper body.

In the case of the installation of sphinx, more than two thirds of the body remain on the ground. This creates even greater stability and much less curvature in the lumbar column.

Practical with care, the Sphinx can strengthen the spine, stabilize the sacroiliac joint, stimulate the vital organs, strengthen the glutes and energize and calm the nervous system simultaneously. Practical with aggression, it can also bite, contributing to the rear tension and wear in the hip joints.

How to practice the installation of sphinxes

1. Gather your accessories: yoga carpet, folded yoga cover (optional). Yoga cover can be useful if your anterior upper iliac spine (hip bone) is uncomfortable on the ground.
2. Spread your carpet on the floor. If you choose to use a folded blanket, place it on the center of your carpet.
3. Lie face down on your carpet. If you use a blanket, place your pool completely on the cover.
4. Found your pelvis and legs.
5. Lift the upper body only as possible without using your arms. Then place your forearms on the ground so that your chest remains at the same height. For the moment, do not push with your forearms. This means that your forearms can be placed well in front of your shoulders.
6. Notice what you feel: do your glutes work here? Can you breathe easily?
7. Take breathing 5 to 10 deep and relaxed. Then, go back to a lying position, resting your forehead in your hands.
8. If you want to explore more deeply in the pose, break your hips and legs again.
9. This time, lift your upper body again, but place your elbows under your shoulders so that you smile a little higher. Be sure not to disengage the work on the legs and glutes. Continue to actively found the lower body. (Sometimes when we start to add the support of the arms, we tend to disengage the lower body.
10. Take 5 to 10 deep and relaxed breaths. Then, go back to a lying position, resting your forehead in your hands.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell discovered yoga in 1982 and started teaching in 1986. Charlotte is the author of Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyding Practice and Yoga for Meditators, both published by Rodmell Press. His third book is entitled Hip-Healthy Asana: The Yoga Pratitioner’s Guide to Protect of the Hips and Avoid Si Joint Pain (Shambhala Publications). She writes a monthly chronicle for Catalyst Magazine and is online Yoga U publisher. Charlotte is a founding member of the board of directors of Greentree Yoga, a non -profit organization that brings yoga to poorly served populations. Musician for life, Charlotte plays an oboe and an English horn in the Salt Lake Symphony and the Sextuant Folk Red rock Rondo, whose DVD won two Emmy Awards.