I’ve been writing for Hugger Mugger’s weblog for 14 years—laborious to imagine. And it’s equally laborious to imagine that in all these years, spanning greater than 900 posts, I’ve by no means written a primary weblog on how you can observe Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). In my protection, I’ve written two articles about practising Bridge on a Normal Yoga Bolster, right here and right here. I’ve additionally written about practising Setu Bandha with a Yoga Block. However for some motive, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana sans props escaped my thoughts.

Bridge Pose Advantages

Bridge Pose is a star amongst yoga poses, and it’s been a staple in my lessons for many years. Not solely is it a vital yoga pose, nevertheless it’s additionally an vital pose in energy coaching routines. Bridge Pose confers so many advantages. Listed below are just a few:

• Stretches hip flexors, a mandatory motion for countering the unwell results of an excessive amount of sitting
• Strengthens again muscle tissues, glutes and hamstrings
• Can relieve again pressure
• Promotes improved posture
• Stretches the chest, neck and shoulders
• Calms the nervous system
• Might help digestion (so long as you observe two hours after a meal)

Cautions and Contraindications

Like all yoga poses, Bridge Pose will be contraindicated in sure instances. In case you are at the moment experiencing a neck and/or shoulder damage, it is likely to be finest to keep away from Setu Bandha Sarvangasana till you might be healed. In a future submit, I’ll share a variation of Bridge Pose that is likely to be okay to observe with a neck subject.

You may also wish to method Bridge Pose with warning if you’re within the early, heavy days of your menstrual interval. Many ladies expertise no unwanted side effects from practising Bridge Pose on their interval. However there are some ladies who expertise an interruption of their regular stream. This may result in cramping and subsequent “flooding.” (I used to be capable of observe Setu Bandha on my interval for years. Then in the future, I skilled these signs, and it was extremely disagreeable!)

The best way to Put together to Apply Bridge Pose

Earlier than practising Setu Bandha, it may be useful to heat up the areas of the physique that shall be doing a lot of the stretching and strengthening work. These embrace: glutes, hip flexors, quadriceps, chest, shoulders, abdominals and neck.

Listed below are just a few recommendations for potential warm-up poses. In fact, a pair rounds of Surya Namaskar (Solar Salutations) may work as effectively:

The best way to Apply Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

1. Lie in your again on a nonskid Yoga Mat.
2. Bend your knees and place the soles of your toes on the ground.
3. Draw your arms shut in to your sides, then bend your elbows in order that your forearms are vertical.
4. Press your higher arms into the ground, and concurrently arch your low again away from the ground.
5. Lengthen your arms alongside your physique.
6. Lengthen your knees outward, away out of your pelvis with a view to start to carry your again off the ground. Maintain extending your knees outward away out of your pelvis as your pelvis lifts into Bridge Pose. Keep this outward extension isometrically as you maintain the pose.
7. I favor extending outward by my legs to carry into the pose, slightly than merely pushing up with my glutes. I’ve discovered that once I push up with my glutes, I overextend my hip joints, which may, over time, put on down the cartilage and labrum. The opposite factor that occurs is that my knees are likely to splay out to the edges once I merely push up with my glutes. This doesn’t occur once I isometrically lengthen my knees outward from my pelvis. You most likely received’t carry as excessive as you’d by pushing into your hip joints, however lifting excessive isn’t the purpose! Working towards sustainably is way extra vital.
8. Rock facet to facet onto the tops of your shoulders and clasp your arms beneath you. In case your elbows bend once you clasp your arms, observe along with your arms parallel on the ground. You may as well maintain a Yoga Strap between your arms to create a stronger grounding in your arms.
9. Take 5 to 10 deep breaths, stress-free your neck, throat, jaw and facial muscle tissues.
10. To go away the pose, lengthen your arms out overhead, alongside the ground and slowly decrease your backbone down onto the ground, lengthening as you go. Repeat in the event you like.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and commenced educating in 1986. Charlotte is the creator of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Apply and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third guide is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and people sextet Pink Rock Rondo, whose DVD received two Emmy awards in 2010.