Bridge pose: Benefits, How to do, Modifications and Variations, & More
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) is a great pose to do when needing to relieve stress or reduce anxiety. When practicing the bridge pose, you are not just working on your core but stretching out any tension in your back, legs, neck, and chest. This asana strengthens the abdomen, back, and arms, thus supporting the heart and lungs. It also helps improve stamina flexibility, gives a feeling of overall well-being, and stimulates the thyroid and pituitary glands, thus balancing the metabolism. The bridge pose can be performed by both beginners and experienced practitioners of yoga.
Bridge Pose — Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (SAY-too BAHN-duh shar-vahn-GAHS-uh-nuh) — is a beginning backbend that helps to open the chest and stretch the thighs. Its Sanskrit name comes from five different words:
“Setu” — meaning “bridge”
“Bandha” — meaning “lock”
“Sarva” — meaning “all”
“Anga” — meaning “limb”
“Asana” — meaning “pose”
When you're in the pose, your arms and legs create a “locked bridge” with your body. This pose can be used as preparation for deeper backbends, or practiced with a block as a restorative pose.
What Is Bridge Pose?
The bridge pose is a backbend yoga posture that is suitable for beginners. The bridge pose tones and strengthens the abdominal muscles while also toning the arms, shoulders, and buttocks. It cures lower back pain and improves digestion.
Bridge pose demands strength from your abdominal muscles as you lift your hips with your weight on just two points: your shoulders and the bridge of your feet. Unlike chaturanga dandasana, bridge puts your body weight on your shoulders, so they bear most of the impact as you lift. This pose might not be suitable if you have neck or shoulder injuries.
Beginners can begin by holding the pose for 10 seconds, gradually increasing the time they spend having the stance to one minute as the posture becomes more comfortable. A yoga block can also support the back at the beginning of the practice. For optimal results, repeat the stance, hold it for a few seconds, and then release it three times.
Bridge Pose Yoga Benefits
There are so many benefits to practicing yoga. Better posture, improved balance, and coordination are some of the main benefits you’ll see. You’ll also experience a better range of motion, increased strength, and lower anxiety levels.
The bridge pose yoga benefits in particular include heart health and emotional benefits. Practicing yoga is all about having a positive, healthy mindset.
1. Children:
Yoga has many benefits for children. This activity helps improve children’s concentration, comprehension, and memory. Yoga can also help children prepare to learn in school. This mindful activity gives children the space to reflect and understand emotional learning. The bridge pose is an easy movement for children to practice at home or in an exercise environment.
2. Osteoporosis:
The bridge pose can help improve your posture, reducing pain caused by osteoporosis. Improved strength and balance also help reduce your risk of falling, which is the leading cause of osteoporotic fractures.
3. Lower back pain:
The bridge pose is great for relieving lower back tension. You can also modify this pose to any movement that accommodates your current spine needs.
4. PCOS:
The bridge pose is also good for PCOS pain. The flow can help relieve lower back pain, sciatica, and stiffness in your back, thighs, hips, and ankles. Holding this pose for a few beats and repeating it eight to 10 times can help during menstruation and pregnancy.
5. Hip flexibility:
Yoga has been shown to improve flexibility in the major muscle groups surrounding your hip. The muscles you’re strengthening with this pose include your ab muscles, back, and quadriceps. These muscles help preserve your hip’s range of motion, making it easier to do activities like walking, standing, and climbing stairs.
If you are interested to do yoga or meditation then enroll in online yoga sessions that suits your needs and start your learning now at home without going to anywhere.
How To Practice Bridge Pose Safely and Effectively
- Sit in Dandasana (staff pose) keep your spine erect and put your hands on the floor by your sides, palms facing down. Bend your right knee, bring the heel close to the perineum and rest it on the floor outside your left thigh.
- Exhale and push your right foot away from you. Keep your left leg on the floor and straighten your back, holding your right foot with your hands. Press your elbows against the insides of your upper thighs and begin to lift the bridge.
- Inhale and push up through the topmost part of the sternum, lifting from underneath – not just exhaling into your back. This will give you more lift and strength in your bridge.
- Continue to lift through the bridge until it’s at a comfortable height – knees straight, feet together, grounding down through the four corners of your feet. The crown of your head should be reaching towards the wall behind you.
- Draw your shoulders away from your ears, gently squeezing your shoulder blades together as you lift more. Pull your abdominal muscles in and draw the heads of your thigh bones deeper into their sockets.
- In the bridge pose, it’s essential to open up through the chest and keep a gentle inward rotation of both thighs. This will ensure that the legs work dynamically rather than the gluteals and lower back.
- To release the bridge pose, exhale and slowly lower down onto your mat. Repeat bridge poses three times with an inhaled breath when you lift and three times with an exhaled breath when lowering down.
Modifications & Variations
There are a few ways to support or modify bridge pose:
1. Use a yoga block:
Place a block underneath your lifted hips while doing bridge pose to support your lower back. The block should go directly underneath your sacrum. Place the block from the lowest to the highest level, whichever feels best on your body.
2. Keep your hands on the mat:
Instead of interlacing your hands behind your back, leave your palms face down, with your arms on the ground, to create more leverage and stability as you raise your hips high.
3. Practice Eka Pada:
Also known as king pigeon pose, Eka Pada is a challenging bridge pose variation. To practice this asana, get into traditional bridge pose, then slowly lift one leg off the ground and breathe. Try lifting the other leg afterward to maintain balance in the body.
4. Practice wheel pose.
Chakrasana, or wheel pose, is an advanced yoga pose, which beginner yogis should perform under the guidance of a certified yoga teacher. To perform wheel pose, place your palms face down next to your ears, with your fingertips pointing towards the crown of your head, and the soles of your feet on the ground. Lift your hips and entire upper body off the mat, letting your head and neck drop back. Continue lifting through the hips and breathing intentionally and deeply.
Tips for Improving Your Bridge Pose
You can strengthen your glutes and core through various methods to prepare for a bridge position. Here are a few workouts that would be beneficial:
1. Wall Squat
Walking your feet a few steps forward from the wall while standing with your back to the wall is a good exercise. Your back should be supported against the wall. Bend your knees so that you can lower yourself into a squat with your quads working towards a 90-degree angle (parallel) with the floor as you reduce yourself. Keep your knees tracking over your feet, and avoid opening to the sides as you walk. Bring the body back up to the starting posture by pressing down through the feet.
2. Pelvic Tilt
As you lie down on a mat, your hands should be at your sides. Your knees should be bent and your feet flat on the ground. Take a deep breath and fill your tummy with air. To do this, tilt your pelvis forward as you exhale so that your low back is pressed into the ground and your abdominals are engaged. Take a deep breath and exhale.
3. Chest Opener
Keeping your back straight, clasp your hands together behind your back. Pulling your arms away from your back will allow you to bring your shoulder heads back and open your chest. Continue to hold for five breaths, and then exhale.
4. Leg Lift to the Back
Standing tall and straight with your feet as wide as your hips, extend your right leg straight out behind you and repeat on the other side. Squeeze the gluteus maximus to raise the right leg toward the sky and repeat. Continue to hold it for a second before lowering it to the ground. Repeat for a total of ten times, then switch sides.
5. Variations of Bridge Pose That You Can Try
If you’re looking to add a challenge to your bridge pose practice, or if you’re starting and are looking for some more accessible modifications, check out these variations below!
6. Glute-Strengthening Bridge Pose
If you’re looking to target your glutes, specifically, the bridge pose is an excellent modification for you. To do this version of bridge pose, place your feet hip-distance apart and lift. Then squeeze your glutes to push your hips upward as high as possible before lowering back down again.
7. Abductor-Strengthening Bridge Pose
Make sure your feet are hip-distance apart for this bridge pose variation, and your knees and toes point upward. Then push your hips upward and slightly outward and hold for a few breaths before lowering back down.
8. Adductor-Strengthening Bridge Pose
For this bridge pose variation, bring your feet together so that the insides of both ankles are touching. Then push up onto your feet and hold for a few breaths before lowering back down again.
Also Read: How to Improve Concentration with Meditation
What to Avoid When Doing the Bridge Yoga Pose
While the bridge yoga pose is a relatively simple and easy pose, there are reasons you should not include this in your yoga flow. If you're dealing with any type of neck or back injury, you should avoid bending your body into a bridge. This pose's movement will strain your neck and back and could cause more damage or keep your injuries from healing. Avoid any yoga poses that strain these areas until you're fully healed and cleared by your doctor or physical therapist. Replace them with restorative yoga instead.
Otherwise, this pose has many benefits and is an essential basic yoga pose that should be included in your routine.
Unroll your mat, and get online yoga programs, with hellomyyoga, one of the best yoga programs. They will teach you the importance of breathing and finding your center as well as how to build a strong foundational practice that will restore your body and mind.
Comments
Post a Comment