Stretching spine, promote blood circulation in spinal area
Improving digestion
Opening chest and lung, good for pumping blood to our heart and expand our lung capacity
Strengthening muscle around shoulders
2. Contraindications:
Suffering back-pain and headache
Carpal tunnel syndrome and during pregnancy.
3. Impacts:
Lengthen abdominal muscles, open chest and shoulders
Extend the entire spine from the lower back to the neck, bringing spine back to its natural alignment.
Enhance the strength of the muscles around the arms and shoulders, engage the trapezius, deltoid, biceps, and forearm muscles.
4. Step by Step:
Lie on your stomach, legs straight, instep on the floor, ankles can be engaged or in the hip distance apart.
Put your hand underneath the shoulders, finger spreads widely as much as possible with index finger pointing toward 12h o’clock, elbow close to the body.
Place your forehead and nose on the floor, exhale completely while pressing your feet, thighs, and pubic bone firmly downward .
Tighten your abdominal muscles and draw your tailbone toward your lower back to protect the lumbar area.
Deeply inhale, roll your shoulder back and down, simultaneously pressing your palms firmly into the floor, feeling that the spine is stretched toward then starts by lifting your chest and chin away from the floor.
Keep your elbow close to your ribcage, draw your shoulder toward each other and away from your ears. Relaxing your shoulder and push your chest forward while your hand and fingers are still grounded.
If you feel comfortable, no pain in the lower back, you can lift your navel slightly off the floor while maintaining pressure on the pelvic bone. Your elbow is still bent, and close to the ribcage.
Hold the position in 5 breaths.
Exhale and gently lower your body from the pelvis to the abdomen, chest, chin, and forehead.
Extend both arms along your body and relax.
5. Incorrect pose:
Lowering Hands to the Floor and Pushing Up Vertically: Straight Arms and Tensed Neck, the chest cannot expand fully, and breathing becomes more difficult and put pressure on lower back.
Placing Hands Too Far Forward and Pushing Up with Straight Arms: If you place your hands too far forward (beyond your chest) and push up with straight arms, it can strain your wrists and put pressure on lower back too.
Not Engaging the Shoulder Blades: Failing to engage the shoulder blades can lead to shoulder and wrist discomfort and lower back pain.
6. Watch out for:
If you feel a strain in your lower back, lower yourself slightly or come into sphinx pose by placing your forearm on the mat.
If you have any wrist pain, try to bringing your hands slightly further or come to sphinx pose as well
Pay attention to align the tip of your nose to your tailbone along a straight line running through your body. Avoid tensing the buttocks and thighs excessively, as this can lead to muscle pain. Also, refrain from tilting your head too far back, as it can hinder blood circulation to the brain.
