Lower back
3 Sphinx Pose variations, from gentlest to strongest
Also called sphinx, salamba bhujangasana, forearm extension.
A low, supported backbend on the forearms. Because it takes no effort to hold, it is often used as a way to see how a back responds to extension before anything stronger is tried.
Start here
The list runs from the most supported version to the most demanding. Sphinx: Supported is the one to begin with. Harder is not better: the version you can do without gripping is the one doing the work.
Every version in the library
1 · Spinal Mobility · 30 to 120 seconds
Sphinx: Supported
A blanket under your ribs softens the extension, providing gentle spinal opening with extra comfort: helpful for easing into back extension exercises.
Make it work for you: Reduce depth or use a simpler variation
2 · Spinal Mobility · 30 to 120 seconds
Sphinx: Low Forearms Forward
Forearms placed further forward create a gentler extension angle, making spinal opening more accessible while still providing meaningful relief and mobility.
Make it work for you: Reduce depth or use a simpler variation
3 · Spinal Mobility · 30 to 120 seconds
Sphinx: Classic
A key therapeutic extension pose that gently opens the front of your body and creates space in your lower back, helping to relieve compression and improve posture.
Make it work for you: Reduce depth. Low forearms. Blanket
When to stop and ask someone
Nothing on this page can tell whether what you are feeling is ordinary mechanical back pain or something that needs looking at, and the published guidance is direct about that distinction. NICE asks clinicians to think about alternative diagnoses when symptoms are new or have changed, and to exclude specific causes such as cancer, infection, trauma or inflammatory disease.
In practice that means stopping and speaking to someone rather than working through it if the pain followed a significant fall or accident, if it comes with fever or unexplained weight loss, if it wakes you at night and does not change when you change position, or if there is weakness in a leg rather than only pain.
One group needs same-day medical attention rather than a phone call: numbness around the groin or back passage, any change in bladder or bowel control, or weakness developing in both legs.
- NICE NG59, low back pain and sciatica in over 16s, recommendation 1.1.1
Think about alternative diagnoses when examining or reviewing people with low back pain, particularly if they develop new or changed symptoms, and exclude specific causes such as cancer, infection, trauma or inflammatory disease.
Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.
Every version above is drawn from the clinically authored Vinys library. This page is general movement information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. What helps for a specific condition.