On the Floor: Basic Bridge Pose Setup

To begin the Bridge Pose, rotate your upper arms outward and turn your palms face-up. This positioning will help you lift your hips and sternum effectively while keeping your chin away from your chest and your tongue relaxed.

Exploring the Classic Bridge Pose

 

Bridge Pose offers numerous variations, allowing you to tailor it to your needs. Opt for an active approach to strengthen your body’s posterior chain—triceps, back muscles, buttocks, hamstrings, and calves. Alternatively, embrace a passive form to rejuvenate both body and mind.

Structural Foundation

Rest your shoulders on the floor, blankets, or a bolster. Ensure your sternum is lifted and your abs are parallel to the floor, making this pose suitable during menstruation. Rotate your upper thighs inward and relax your facial muscles and tongue.

Elevated Variation

Elevate your shoulders and feet approximately 15cm to shift more weight onto your shoulders, allowing for a higher sternum lift. This adjustment eases neck tension and facilitates a gentle backward drop of the chin.

Increasing the Backward Bend

To deepen the pose, lift your pelvis, inch your feet closer to your hands, and rise onto your toes. Turn your forearms downward, pressing your upper arms and hands firmly into the ground to elevate your sternum further.

The Magic of Restorative Bridge Pose

Fully supported in this pose, you’ll feel a blissful ease as it lengthens your neck and lower back, engaging the parasympathetic nervous system. Simultaneously, the mild backward stretch of the thoracic spine activates the sympathetic nervous system. Bind your legs to maintain an inward rotation of the thighs, aiding in the alleviation of pressure in the sacroiliac joint.

Pelvis on Block

Position your pelvis on a block with the soles of your feet against a wall. Keep your facial muscles relaxed for a serene experience.

Partially Restorative

This variation involves holding onto the legs of a chair and actively rotating the thighs inward while supporting the back, neck, shoulders, and head—a partially active, partially restorative approach.

So Relaxing

For additional lower back support, have a student raise their legs onto a chair. This modification transforms the pose into a supported shoulder stand, perfect for those experiencing back discomfort.

Good Chest Opener

Arrange a mat over four bolsters. As you slide backward into the pose, the gentle pull on the skin of your back helps create a safe, comfortable backward stretch, opening the chest beautifully.