I’ve been writing for Hugger Mugger’s weblog for 14 years—exhausting to imagine. And it’s equally exhausting to imagine that in all these years, spanning greater than 900 posts, I’ve by no means written a primary weblog on tips on 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 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 vital motion for countering the unwell results of an excessive amount of sitting
• Strengthens again muscle mass, glutes and hamstrings
• Can relieve again stress
• 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 might be contraindicated in sure instances. In case you are at present experiencing a neck and/or shoulder harm, it could be finest to keep away from Setu Bandha Sarvangasana till you might be healed. In a future publish, I’ll share a variation of Bridge Pose that could be okay to apply with a neck difficulty.

You may additionally need to method Bridge Pose with warning in case you are within the early, heavy days of your menstrual interval. Many ladies expertise no uncomfortable side effects from working towards Bridge Pose on their interval. However there are some girls who expertise an interruption of their regular circulate. This could result in cramping and subsequent “flooding.” (I used to be in a position to apply Setu Bandha on my interval for years. Then in the future, I skilled these signs, and it was extremely disagreeable!)

How one can Put together to Observe Bridge Pose

Earlier than working towards Setu Bandha, it may be useful to heat up the areas of the physique that will probably 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. After all, a pair rounds of Surya Namaskar (Solar Salutations) may work as effectively:

How one can Observe 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 to be able to start to elevate 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 choose extending outward by means of my legs to elevate into the pose, reasonably 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 inclined to splay out to the perimeters 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 elevate as excessive as you’d by pushing into your hip joints, however lifting excessive isn’t the purpose! Training sustainably is much extra vital.
8. Rock aspect to aspect onto the tops of your shoulders and clasp your palms beneath you. In case your elbows bend while you clasp your palms, apply together with your arms parallel on the ground. You may also 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 mass.
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 when you like.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and started instructing in 1986. Charlotte is the writer of Conscious Yoga, Conscious Life: A Information for On a regular basis Observe and Yoga for Meditators, each revealed 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 folks sextet Pink Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards in 2010.