These asana will help to open your chest and throat and access Vishuddhi chakra or several meridian lines in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Cobra is an essential part of Sun Salutations, while Sphinx and Seal are integral Yin poses.
Certain asanas, while not ‘sexy’ or exciting, are basic to the practice of yoga. Bhujangasana, or Cobra Pose is integral to the practice of Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutations; it’s also one of the easiest backbends for the newcomer. In the Yin Yoga tradition, this pose is divided into two related forms, Sphinx and Seal. As a physical movement, Bhujangasana and its related forms strengthens and stretches the upper back and shoulders. These movements are also great at the end of a busy day for relaxation.
If you’re looking to integrate your asana practice with meditation, these movements have even more to recommend them. Bhujangasana is related to the fourth and fifth chakras, Anahata and Vishuddha, which govern the heart and throat. As such, the pose can be helpful with emotional or communication issues. In the Yin tradition, Sphinx and Seal are thought to stimulate the Urinary Bladder/Kidney and Stomach/Spleen Meridians; thus, holding either for an extended period of time is considered helpful.
Each of these poses start on the belly. Bring your hands next to your chest. Press the tops of your feet and your thighs into your mat, bringing energy up your body. Starting with your glance to the floor, slowly and mindfully move it to the wall in front of you. Notice that this brings the muscles in your back into play. Your body is resting on your palms; use them to push your upper torso away from your mat. Only rise as far as you can without breaking the connection of your lower body to your mat. Keep your elbows pressed towards the body and breathe. Slowly lower yourself to your mat.
When you have mastered this, you might try going through the same procedure again but lifting your hands from the floor at the end of the rise. This ensures that you use the muscles of your back to keep you lifted rather than those of your arms. In your home practice, you might try working through a mini-vinyasa, actively moving in and out of the pose several times before holding it.
As you practice this pose, notice the direction that your chest faces. Consider taking the time to practice Cobra with an emphasis on opening the chest rather than working for maximum back-bending. Visualize your chest area pointing or ‘smiling’ at the wall in front of you.
In a Yin practice, poses are held for extended periods of time, with the body as relaxed as possible. We do this by bringing the elbows to the chest area and resting the body on the forearms for Sphinx pose. Or, for more advanced work, one pushes up until the arms are straight for Seal pose. Either variation can be held for up to twenty minutes, although one to five is far more likely in a class setting.
To incorporate any of these into a home practice, it’s nice to begin in Crocodile Pose, or Makarasana, with your hands atop each other making a pillow for your forehead. This is a great place to focus on your breathing for the purposes of your practice. After a few inhalations and exhalations, you’re ready to move on, perhaps to Sphinx. Come to a comfortable stretch and hold, breathing slowly and thoughtfully. From here, you have options. You can continue to hold Sphinx for an extended period of time; you can start in Sphinx and move to Seal; you can use Sphinx as a warm up for a series of dynamic Cobras. You might follow up with Balasana or Child’s Pose to counter the backbend.
Yoga Cielo Stellato 