Sphinx Pose for Kids: Gentle Beginner Backbend
/Winter slumps got you down?
Want to energize and uplift with a gentle movement?
Feeling the need to relieve stress and tension?
Strengthen the Spine in Sphinx!
Sphinx pose, sometimes called “the baby of backbends” is a perfect beginner backbend for children and adults of all abilities. It stretches the abdomen and shoulders, which expands the breath and naturally leads to greater energy and vitality.
As the cold weather hits, many of us spend our days walking around with our shoulders at our ears and our chest hollowed against the chill. This is also the posture many of us take when we feel especially vulnerable or sad - we try to protect our heart, throat and all the other organs at the front of our body that keep us alive. We might get stuck in a walking fetal position for months or even years and never know it.
Sphinx pose helps us release and unravel those habits in a gentle and safe way, lying prone, with the comforting presence of the solid floor nearby. Take this one slow…Sphinx is never in a rush!
The Benefits of Sphinx Pose for Kids
Sphinx yoga pose not only lengthens and strengthens the spine, it also expands the breath creating increased power and stamina. This is the perfect pose to practice as we build up to other backbends like Cobra Pose, Bow Pose and Camel Pose.
Unfortunately, as academic pressures at school increase, children are spending more and more hours of their day sitting at desks - which is a forward bend. This often results in poor posture, hunched shoulders, and a shortening of the front-body muscles.
Sphinx Pose is a fun, easy and accessible way for yogis of all ages to begin to open and lengthen the entire front line of the body and feel great while doing it. Let’s sing along with Lauren as we practice this sphinx position…this is a short video so be sure to put it on repeat and practice a few times with a brief rest in between.
Elevate Your Curriculum
Did you know Yo Re Mi offers an array of children's musical yoga and mindfulness resources for your school? You can:
- Request a professional development workshop
- Join a 30-hour certified kids yoga teacher training
- Download our app for exclusive videos and sequences -- with no ads!
- Inquire about brining the Yo Re Mi program to your school
How To: Sphinx Pose
Lie on your belly
Slide hands forward until your elbows are in line with your shoulders
Forearms parallel to one another and shoulder-distance apart
Bring feet hip-distance apart with tops of feet on the floor
Firm the belly in and up, navel toward spine to protect the low back
Spread fingers and imagine pulling the mat toward you as you draw chest forward lengthening the spine
Relax shoulders away from the ears and reach toes back behind you
Keep neck relaxed and head in line with the spine
Stay for 5-10 breaths
Tips for Mastering Sphinx Yoga Pose
If you are new to sphinx pose it remember to engage through the abs and legs. Focusing on deepening the pose without that support can hurt your lower back - this pose should feel good on your spine. If it doesn’t, bring the elbows slightly forward to decrease the backbend and re-establish your supports.
Relax shoulders down to relieve tension along the neck, shoulders and upper back. The support of your abdominals should give you enough space to do this.
Keep knees and ankles no wider than hip-width apart to ensure you are targeting the proper muscle groups and protecting the low back. Practice with a mirror or a friend to check your alignment or try gently holding a yoga block between your thighs.
Relax your jaw, face, and neck and keep head in line with the spine. It’s tempting to look up in this pose but make sure you are keeping space along the cervical vertebrae for a lovely neck stretch.
Kid-friendly Sphinx Pose Variations
Sphinx can be a great pose to share on a musical yoga adventure to Egypt but also can be used to explore various swimming sea creatures during an underwater adventure. Make funny fish faces and sounds in sphinx and then rest your head on stacked palms with elbows wide.
Once you feel steady in sphinx, try bending our right knee and reaching your right hand back to grab the right ankle. Stay there for a few breaths, rest in the middle and then switch to the other side. Make this fun variation into an angel fish, tiger shark or any other creature you choose.
After practicing both sides, rest your forehead on your stacked hands with elbows wide. Widen the legs, bend the knees and swish legs side to side like seaweed to release any residual tension in the low back. Slide hands back under shoulders and push back, hips to heels for a peaceful child’s pose. Breathe into the backs of your lungs in child’s pose and notice how much space and length you just created in your spine.
A sphinx is a mythical creature, with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Take a moment to honor your own magic as you practice this pose combining wisdom and strength. Say to yourself “I am wise, I am strong!”
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