I’ve been writing for Hugger Mugger’s weblog for 14 years—arduous to consider. And it’s equally arduous to consider that in all these years, spanning greater than 900 posts, I’ve by no means written a fundamental weblog on learn how to apply Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). In my protection, I’ve written two articles about working towards Bridge on a Normal Yoga Bolster, right here and right here. I’ve additionally written about working towards Setu Bandha with a Yoga Block. However for some cause, 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 necessary yoga pose, but it surely’s additionally an necessary pose in energy coaching routines. Bridge Pose confers so many advantages. Listed here are just a few:

• Stretches hip flexors, a obligatory motion for countering the in poor health results of an excessive amount of sitting
• Strengthens again muscle groups, glutes and hamstrings
• Can relieve again rigidity
• Promotes improved posture
• Stretches the chest, neck and shoulders
• Calms the nervous system
• Could support digestion (so long as you apply two hours after a meal)

Cautions and Contraindications

Like all yoga poses, Bridge Pose may be contraindicated in sure circumstances. In case you are presently experiencing a neck and/or shoulder harm, it is perhaps greatest to keep away from Setu Bandha Sarvangasana till you’re healed. In a future publish, I’ll share a variation of Bridge Pose that is perhaps okay to apply with a neck problem.

You may also wish to method Bridge Pose with warning in case you are within the early, heavy days of your menstrual interval. Many ladies expertise no unwanted effects from working towards Bridge Pose on their interval. However there are some girls who expertise an interruption of their regular circulate. This may result in cramping and subsequent “flooding.” (I used to be in a position to apply 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 will likely be doing a lot of the stretching and strengthening work. These embrace: glutes, hip flexors, quadriceps, chest, shoulders, abdominals and neck.

Listed here are just a few solutions 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 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. Prolong your arms alongside your physique.
6. Prolong your knees outward, away out of your pelvis with a purpose to start to carry your again off the ground. Hold extending your knees outward away out of your pelvis as your pelvis lifts into Bridge Pose. Preserve this outward extension isometrically as you maintain the pose.
7. I want extending outward by means of my legs to carry 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 inclined 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 in all probability gained’t carry as excessive as you’ll by pushing into your hip joints, however lifting excessive isn’t the purpose! Working towards sustainably is much extra necessary.
8. Rock facet to facet onto the tops of your shoulders and clasp your arms beneath you. In case your elbows bend if you clasp your arms, apply along with your arms parallel on the ground. You can too maintain a Yoga Strap between your arms to create a stronger grounding in your arms.
9. Take 5 to 10 deep breaths, enjoyable your neck, throat, jaw and facial muscle groups.
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 case you like.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and started educating in 1986. Charlotte is the creator of Conscious Yoga, Conscious 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 folks sextet Pink Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards in 2010.