Bridge Pose (Dvipādapīṭham)
Anyone who attends my classes or teacher training will know that bridge pose is included in almost every practice I teach, and with good reason. Bridge pose is a simple yet versatile backbend that can be practised in various ways, and offers a range of experiences and benefits depending on the variation you choose.
The Benefits of Bridge Pose:
Depending on how it is practiced, bridge pose offers a number of benefits including:
- strengthens the back, gluteal & leg muscles
- strengthens the ankles & knees
- opens the front of the body – hips, chest & shoulders
- the back of the neck is stretched, making it a good preparation for shoulder stand
- counteracts the effect of prolonged sitting & computer work
- facilitates better breathing
- calms and soothes the nervous system
You can also target specific muscle groups by changing how you practice bridge pose, e.g., squeezing a yoga block between the thighs will strengthen the inner thigh muscles (adductors), or looping a yoga strap around your thighs, just above the knees, and pressing the thighs outward against the belt will strengthen the abductors, which are a group of muscles necessary for stabilising the hips.
Three Ways to Practice Bridge Pose:
Following are three ways that I practice and teach bridge pose regularly. There are, of course other variations, which we will explore in a later post.
Please remember, if you have any pain or discomfort in any of these variations, come out of the posture straight away.
1) Active Bridge:
In its active variation, the bridge is a strengthening and energising posture; it strengthens the back muscles, glutes, hamstrings, knees & ankles while, simultaneously, opening the front of the body – hips, chest, and shoulders.
The chest and shoulders opening helps to improve posture and facilitate better breathing.
Step by Step:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, ankles approximately in line with your knees.
- Rest your arms on the floor alongside your body – palms may be facing up or down, depending on what is comfortable for your shoulders.
- As you inhale, ground through the feet and lift your hips, low back back, then mid back up from the floor.
- Turning the thumbs out when lifting into the posture, as Emmilee does in the video, will help the opening across the chest and shoulders
- Exhale, lower the mid back, low back, then hips to the floor.
- After warming up the back by moving in and out of the pose a few times, try staying in the backbend for a comfortable number of breaths, maintaining a steady even breath.
- Keep your feet firmly grounded and legs active as you move in, out, and stay in the posture.
2) Stabilising Bridge:
This is a variation that I often use therapeutically, especially when there have been intervertebral disc problems or lower thoracic and lumbar spine instability.
This version strengthens core muscles and trains the nervous system to stabilise the low back during movement, especially loaded twisting.
Step by Step:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, ankles approximately in line with your knees.
- Rest your arms on the floor alongside your body – palms may be facing up or down, depending on what is comfortable for your shoulders.
- As you exhale, engage the lower abdominal muscles, ground through the feet and lift your hips, low back back, then mid back up from the floor, only coming up far enough that you are able to maintain a neutral spine
- Stay here and take an easy inhale, staying a little engaged in the abdominal muscles.
- Exhale, engage the lower abdominal muscles and lower the mid back, low back, then hips to the floor.
- As you get stronger and more stable in th eposture, trying staying for a comfortable number of breaths, maintaining a steady even breath.
- Keep your feet firmly grounded and legs active as you move in, out, and stay in the posture.
3) Supported Bridge
A supportive block or bolster under the sacrum turns this variation of bridge pose into a restful and relaxing posture.
The restorative nature of this posture is due to the head and neck being lower than the heart . This down regulates the sympathetic nervous system [fight or flight]and activates the parasympathetic [rest & digest] nervous system.
Step by Step:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet flat on the floor.
- Rest your arms on the floor alongside your body with the palms facing up.
- Press down into the soles of your feet to lift your hips off the floor.
- Slide your yoga block, or bolster under your back directly under your sacrum.
- Staying in this posture for some minutes and incorporating restful belly breathing will deepen the calming effects and leave you feeling rested and refreshed.
- This should feel comfortable, if it doesn’t, remove the block and come out of the posture.
- To come out of the posture, press down into your feet and lift your hips again. Slide the block, or bolster out from under your sacrum and gently lower your back to the floor.
- Rest here with your knees bent or, maybe, gently rock side-to-side on the sacrum.
Thanks to Emmilee for being my model in the above videos. Emmilee is one of my Yoga Therapy students; she teaches yoga in Central Otago.
