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Bridge Pose

By Sarah Landis, APOGEE Yoga Instructor

Backbending has many benefits, not least of which are the uplifting feelings the movement generates. After a backbend, you may feel physically and mentally energized. The pose opens your chest and your lungs, creating more space for the breath. Backbends stretch your  shoulders, abdominals, hips and thighs and the group of abdominal nerves known as the solar plexus. Backbending stimulates the abdominal organs, improving digestion and relieving menstrual discomfort. Depending on the position of the chin, backbends can stimulate or sooth the thyroid gland, which controls metabolism. Practice backbends regularly, and you will strengthen your back and increase mobility in your spine.

If I were to practice only one backbend, it would be setu bandha sarvangasana, bridge pose. This pose can be active, even performed with one leg raised. Or, you can support your hips with a block for a restful, restorative posture. In bridge pose, the lungs are also inverted, making this a beautiful pose for moving out chest colds.

•    To begin, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on your mat just in front of your sits bones, arms by your sides. Make sure the feet are parallel. If this is difficult, place a block between your big toes and maintain that contact throughout the pose.

•    Press down through the feet and arms to lift the hips until the thighs are approaching parallel to the floor. Your feet should be under your knees. Draw the tailbone toward the backs of the knees and lift the pubic bone in the direction of the navel. These actions will help elongate and protect the lower back.

•    Snuggle one shoulder, then the other, underneath you onto the back. Be mindful not to move the shoulders toward the feet, which could strain the neck. Pressing the back of the skull into the mat will help maintain the natural curve in the neck.

•    Now that you are in the pose, breathe. Imagine you are filling your lungs with helium and let your full, light lungs ascend, bringing the chest a little closer to the chin. Continue to breathe deeply and explore how it feels to breathe with the lungs inverted for the next 30 seconds to one minute.

Restorative Variation
To practice a restorative version of setu bandha, place a block under your sacrum at the base of the pelvis. Notice that by turning the block you can create three levels. Choose the highest level that still allows you to stay in the pose without tenderness in the lower back. Stay in this variation for five minutes.

For more heart-opening yoga poses, join Sarah Landis on Sunday, February 21, for an Open Your Heart yoga workshop, from noon to 2:00 pm at APOGEE Bedford Hills. Details here.