Salamba Bhujangasana (sphinx pose)

Salamba Bhujangasana (sphinx pose)

To do this pose:

Come to lying down on your stomach on your mat with your legs straight out behind you. Rest your elbows on the mat, pointing your fingers to the top of the mat and parallel to each other. Engage your lower abdominals to protect your low back while arching your upper back to open your heart, chest, and collar bones. Keep your chin level with the ground, keeping your spine aligned, no need to force anything. Close your eyes and let yourself breathe here. 

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It stabilizes the shoulders. A lot of yoga poses are harsh on the shoulders and after a day of lifting patients, they aren’t the best to make you feel better! So try sphinx pose to help realign your shoulders and open your heart 
• It releases the myofascia of the abdomen. Fascia is a netting that basically holds our entire bodies together. It is intricate and delicate so, it also often becomes inflamed with stress, mental or physical. The abdomen is one of the largest areas of fascia and providing it with release and stimulation promotes it’s healing which can help with overall pain or gastrointestinal issues.
• It strengthens the back muscles. In this pose, your back is engaged and your shoulder blades pull together to open up your chest and collarbones. This can strengthen those muscles the more you practice this pose which helps protect your spine, which as we have discussed at length, is so important for such a physical job!