Bridge Pose: Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

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 fundamental weblog on the best way to observe Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). In my protection, I’ve written two articles about training Bridge on a Customary Yoga Bolster, right here and right here. I’ve additionally written about training 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, however it’s additionally an essential pose in energy coaching routines. Bridge Pose confers so many advantages. Listed below are a number of:

• Stretches hip flexors, a mandatory motion for countering the sick 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 support digestion (so long as you observe two hours after a meal)

Cautions and Contraindications

Like all yoga poses, Bridge Pose might be contraindicated in sure circumstances. If you’re presently experiencing a neck and/or shoulder harm, it may be greatest to keep away from Setu Bandha Sarvangasana till you’re healed. In a future put up, I’ll share a variation of Bridge Pose that may be okay to observe with a neck situation.

You may also need to strategy Bridge Pose with warning if you’re within the early, heavy days of your menstrual interval. Many ladies expertise no unwanted effects from training Bridge Pose on their interval. However there are some ladies who expertise an interruption of their regular move. This could result in cramping and subsequent “flooding.” (I used to be in a position to 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 training Setu Bandha, it may be useful to heat up the areas of the physique that can be doing a lot of the stretching and strengthening work. These embody: glutes, hip flexors, quadriceps, chest, shoulders, abdominals and neck.

Listed below are a number of options for doable warm-up poses. After all, a pair rounds of Surya Namaskar (Solar Salutations) may work as properly:

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 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. Lengthen your arms alongside your physique.
6. Lengthen your knees outward, away out of your pelvis in an effort to start to carry your again off the ground. Preserve 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 via my legs to carry into the pose, somewhat 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 prolong my knees outward from my pelvis. You most likely gained’t carry as excessive as you’d by pushing into your hip joints, however lifting excessive isn’t the purpose! Training sustainably is much extra essential.
8. Rock facet to facet onto the tops of your shoulders and clasp your palms beneath you. In case your elbows bend whenever you clasp your palms, observe along with your arms parallel on the ground. You too can maintain a Yoga Strap between your palms to create a stronger grounding in your arms.
9. Take 5 to 10 deep breaths, enjoyable your neck, throat, jaw and facial muscle tissue.
10. To go away the pose, prolong 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 instructing in 1986. Charlotte is the writer of Conscious Yoga, Conscious Life: A Information for On a regular basis Apply and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third e book 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 Crimson Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards in 2010.