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Bridge Pose

Bridge Pose (or Setu Bandhasana) is a safe and rejuvenating back-bend great for beginners and experienced yogis or athletes who want to go deeper. It stretches and strengthens the front and back body, can reduce backache and headaches as well as alleviate stress. (Stress bad! Yoga good!) This video part of our Foundations of Yoga series suitable for beginners and great for anyone attempting to get back to a practice or deepen a current practice.

Watch on YouTube!

Oh Bridge Pose- how I love thee! Just let me count the ways...

Bridge is an excellent and safe back bend for those new to Yoga practice. We have options to support the body with props to make the posture more restorative (see modifications) and if you are an experience yogi or athlete I encourage you to not overlook this back bend as it offers to much opportunity for space and observation. If you are eyeing deeper back bending asanas, then this is the perfect pose to safely and consciously increase flexibility in the spine, integrate the breath and open the front body. Remember, take your time! Enjoy the journey and the practice.

Benefits

  • Stretches the chest, back, abdominals, hips and legs
  • Strengthens the muscles of the back, the butt, legs and ankles
  • Opens hip flexors and psoas
  • Stretches the back of the neck also stimulating the Thyroid gland - which is responsible for energizing and fueling your calorie burning fire
  • Increases breath capacity (so breathe for heavens sake!) as you open chest and expand lungs
  • Counteracts those rounded shoulders from time spent at a desk or computer all day, playing instruments, carrying small children, etc.
  • Stimulates abdominal organs
  • Improves digestion
  • Relieves symptoms of Menopause
  • Can reduce backaches
  • Can reduce headaches (This is true for me!)
  • Increases flexibility in the spine
  • Offers opportunity to observe asymmetry in body and observe imbalances.

Modifications

  • Use block between knees to create that engaging quality between the inner thighs
  • Place one block or two underneath sacrum for a more therapeutic posture. 
  • Avoid this posture if you are healing from injury in neck
  • Always take your time and be mindful

 

 

9 comments on “Bridge Pose”

  1. Hello!

    Just a quick note to say hi from Spain and wish you come back with new videos or posts soon 🙂

    Kind regards and I hope you are well!

    xx

    1. Hello! Thank you! New foundations video will be up tomorrow and next week I will start a new schedule with more offerings- foundations and sequences and weekend video blogs! Coming at you soon! Thank you so much and I want to visit SPAIN! So bad.
      Namaste!

  2. Thank you Adriene for your inspiration - I hope to improve on my poses with your help! Enjoy the Day!

  3. this is great! I'm trying to lose weight with yoga and I'm having difficulties doing the bridge pose. (I practice yoga by myself at home) so this is very helpful!! and also thanks for free videos! one question: Is yoga an okay cool down to workouts?

  4. Trying to find the practice with a variation of bridge pose, in which you raised arms overhead, and lowered arms (held as if holding a beach ball) as you lowered out of bridge pose. It massages all sorts of nooks along spince. I use your practices a few times a week—THANK YOU! I love them—but I can't find this one.

  5. Dear Adriene, I just discovered your videos and love love your playful & encouraging teaching style.
    After 10 years with hypothyroidism I decided it's time to wean off the medication and rather heal my thyroid naturally. I was wondering if you could recommend some poses that will stimulate the thyroid gland or even put together a short thyroid healing routine for the people with thyroid imbalances?
    Thank you so much & Take care!

  6. I love the list of benefits!! Maybe this is something Adriene could start doing again? Also, we need more of these out takes! ♥️

  7. Bridge pose is really a hip opener, so many aches and pains gone after doing this pose, feeling younger with this pose!

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