Bridge Pose: Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

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 primary weblog on find out how to observe Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). In my protection, I’ve written two articles about training Bridge on a Normal Yoga Bolster, right here and right here. I’ve additionally written about training 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 vital yoga pose, but it surely’s additionally an vital pose in power coaching routines. Bridge Pose confers so many advantages. Listed here are a number of:

• Stretches hip flexors, a essential 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 assist digestion (so long as you observe two hours after a meal)

Cautions and Contraindications

Like all yoga poses, Bridge Pose could be contraindicated in sure circumstances. In case you are presently experiencing a neck and/or shoulder damage, it is perhaps 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 is perhaps okay to observe with a neck situation.

You may also need to strategy Bridge Pose with warning in case you are within the early, heavy days of your menstrual interval. Many ladies expertise no negative effects from training Bridge Pose on their interval. However there are some girls who expertise an interruption of their regular circulation. This may result in cramping and subsequent “flooding.” (I used to be capable of observe Setu Bandha on my interval for years. Then sooner or later, I skilled these signs, and it was extremely disagreeable!)

Easy methods to Put together to Follow Bridge Pose

Earlier than training 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 embody: glutes, hip flexors, quadriceps, chest, shoulders, abdominals and neck.

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

Easy methods to Follow 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 in an effort to start to raise 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 want extending outward by way of my legs to raise 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 likely to splay out to the perimeters 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 gained’t raise as excessive as you’ll by pushing into your hip joints, however lifting excessive isn’t the purpose! Training sustainably is way extra vital.
8. Rock facet to facet onto the tops of your shoulders and clasp your fingers beneath you. In case your elbows bend if you clasp your fingers, observe along with your arms parallel on the ground. You can too maintain a Yoga Strap between your fingers 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 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 should 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 Follow and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third ebook 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 Crimson Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards in 2010.