Welcome to yoga workshop Fridays! Don’t know what I am talking about, check out this post.
This series will be each Friday explaining how to do a particular pose leading up to a peak pose on the last Friday of the month. Throughout this series, I ask that you listen to your body to prevent injury and warm up for a pose when needed.
Disclaimer: Though I am a certified yoga instructor, please consult your doctor before you begin practice and note that everyone’s practice may look a bit different as you align the pose to your body.
You probably see the theme with this month’s poses. Today’s pose is bridge pose or Setu bandhasana in sandskrit. Bridge pose is another backbend, leading up to our peak backbend next week. In a traditional vinyasa class, you usually will find this pose used towards the end of class as part of the cool down.
Bridge pose can be used as either energizing or restorative which is why it is great for all level classes. In yoga, there are many modifications that can be made to a pose so that it fits your needs. A restorative bridge may simply be just lifting the hips and placing a block or two underneath your bottom for a more gentle heart opener. Whereas a more energizing bridge may be a deeper backbend bringing the hands underneath the lower back as I describe below. Remember to do what feels right in your body.
How to do the pose:
Begin by laying on your back, feet planted on the mat, hip distance apart. Bring your arms along your sides. On an inhale, press into the feet, lifting the hips up. Firm through your glute muscles. Make sure the knees are not splaying out. If you have a block handy, place that in between your thighs and squeeze the block to learn the action of firming the glutes and pressing through the feet. Lift through your chest. To get deeper into this pose, roll the shoulders under and bring your hands underneath your lower back as you lift through the chest.
After holding for a few breaths, lower slowly on an exhale. Feel free to do a couple rounds.
Once you finish, I suggest gentle swaying the knees side to side for a few breaths to release from the backbend.
Benefits:
- Heart opener
- Strengthens the back muscles
- Strengthens the glutes
- Calms the mind in a restorative practice
Share your pose on Instagram, tagging @bridgesthroughlife and hashtags #bridgesthroughlife #yogaworkshopFridays
I hope you enjoy this series. If you have any suggestions for what poses you would like me to break down, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment or send me an email [email protected]