Welcome to day one of Yin for Your Work Week.
Today we're going to work on a gentle backbend called Sphinx Pose.
So let's get set up and then I'll talk a little bit while we're in the pose.
So please lay a blanket out on your mat so you have some support for your hip bones.
And then you're going to lay on your belly.
And you're going to be on your forearms on your belly.
So on your forearms,
I'd like your elbows to be very far forward of your shoulders.
So that when you relax your spine,
Your torso,
You're soft in the low back,
There's no pain there.
Maybe a little discomfort but no pain.
Now bring your hands into a prayer.
And then bring your thumbs to where your eyebrows begin.
And just allow the weight of your head to rest on your thumbs.
Now if you're not feeling much of anything here,
I want you to back your elbows up just a little bit.
And then go ahead and relax your legs and your low back buttocks again.
Now this is Yin.
In Yin we do want to be a little bit uncomfortable.
We just don't want any pain.
That's a signal that you're going too far in your body.
So once you've come to a good position with your elbows,
You relax your low back,
You allow your torso and your spine to sink down.
And you can experiment with having your legs as open as wide as your mat or having them together.
One might feel better or worse for your low back.
So try both and decide on one.
And then we're going to stay here for a few minutes.
So if you're practicing this on a Monday,
And it really does not matter when you practice,
I did have the days of the week in mind with each pose.
With Mondays,
They're not a favorite day for most people.
A little bit of a backbend brings some enthusiasm to the day.
And then because of our posture with the slumping and the forward rounded shoulders,
A backbend helps to reverse that a little bit.
If you haven't already,
Begin to take some really deep breaths in and out.
And if you've become almost a little too comfortable in this posture,
Move the elbows back toward your body just a little bit.
And then try to relax the low back and the torso.
A little discomfort is exactly where you want to be.
Now let's finish up the last minute on the forearms.
So lower your hands away from where your thumbs were and just have the forearms somewhat straight out in front of you.
And then re-relax,
Allow your torso and spine to sink.
We're going to stay here for three more breaths.
Now very slowly walk your hands back so it feels a little more supportive so that you can come up into a tabletop position.
And then I just want to come into a seated position.
So take your blanket that you were just laying on,
Fold it up a couple of times so you have a nice elevation for your hips here.
This acts as a pose that can just bring us back to some equilibrium,
To some balance after the backbend.
But then we're also going to sit here for one minute in silence to reflect on how your body feels.
Now after four to five minutes in the Sphinx backbend.
So notice physical shifts,
Mental shifts,
Emotional.
Please take two more breaths.
Your homework.
After this reflection,
I'd like you to share any changes,
Any shifts in the course classroom with me.
It helps me to understand your experience and how you feel before and then certainly after practicing Sphinx Pose today.
Let's bring hands to heart center,
Slight bow to the head,
And be grateful for showing up,
For spending these few minutes on feeling better,
More comfortable.
Thank you.
