Bridge Pose: Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

I’ve been writing for Hugger Mugger’s weblog for 14 years—arduous to imagine. And it’s equally arduous to imagine that in all these years, spanning greater than 900 posts, I’ve by no means written a fundamental weblog on tips on how to observe Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). In my protection, I’ve written two articles about working towards Bridge on a Commonplace Yoga Bolster, right here and right here. I’ve additionally written about working towards Setu Bandha with a Yoga Block. However for some purpose, 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 courses for many years. Not solely is it a necessary yoga pose, but it surely’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 crucial motion for countering the in poor health results of an excessive amount of sitting
• Strengthens again muscle tissue, glutes and hamstrings
• Can relieve again pressure
• Promotes improved posture
• Stretches the chest, neck and shoulders
• Calms the nervous system
• Could 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 harm, it could be greatest to keep away from Setu Bandha Sarvangasana till you’re healed. In a future submit, I’ll share a variation of Bridge Pose that could be okay to observe with a neck subject.

You may also need to method Bridge Pose with warning in case you are within the early, heavy days of your menstrual interval. Many ladies expertise no unwanted side effects from working towards 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 someday, I skilled these signs, and it was extremely disagreeable!)

How you can Put together to Apply Bridge Pose

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

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

How you can Apply Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

1. Lie in your again on a nonskid Yoga Mat.
2. Bend your knees and place the soles of your ft 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. Prolong your arms alongside your physique.
6. Prolong your knees outward, away out of your pelvis with the intention to start to raise your again off the ground. Hold 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 choose extending outward by my legs to raise into the pose, moderately than merely pushing up with my glutes. I’ve discovered that once I push up with my glutes, I overextend my hip joints, which might, 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 prolong my knees outward from my pelvis. You in all probability gained’t raise as excessive as you’ll by pushing into your hip joints, however lifting excessive isn’t the purpose! Practising sustainably is much 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 tissue.
10. To depart the pose, prolong your arms out overhead, alongside the ground and slowly decrease your backbone down onto the ground, lengthening as you go. Repeat when you like.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and commenced educating in 1986. Charlotte is the writer of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Apply and Yoga for Meditators, each revealed 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 gained two Emmy awards in 2010.