Setu Bandha Sarvangasana - Bridge Pose - Significance and Benefits

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Definition

Setu bandha sarvangasana is a simple backbend pose that trains the practitioner for more advanced backbends. The word comes from the Sanskrit setu, which means “bridge,” bandha, which means “lock,” sarva, which means “everything,” anga, which means “limb,” and asana, which means “pose.”

What is the meaning of Setu Bandha Sarvangasana?

To begin, lie on your back with your knees bent and your hands and feet on the surface. Lift the lower spine as far as possible off the surface and hang for  one to two minutes. Drop the back to the surface to leave the posture.

In English, setu bandha sarvangasana is known as bridge pose.

This complete beginner backbend asana not only benefits your physical fitness, but it also benefits your mental wellbeing by

  • Getting  rid of bad feelings
  • Mind-body relaxation
  • Relieving fear and fatigue
  • Increasing inner peace

Setu bandha sarvangasana is a strong but basic asana that can also be classified as restorative.The muladhara (root), visuddha (throat), and anahata (heart) chakras are stimulated by bridge pose. The root chakra is believed to aid in connection, while the throat chakra aids in speech and voice, and the heart chakra encourages fire, love, and healing.

Bridge Pose in Yoga: How to Do It

Bridge Pose (SAY-too BAHN-duh shar-vahn-GAHS-nuh) is a basic backbend that opens the shoulders and stretches the thighs.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Bridge Pose

Step 1) If possible, lie supine on the mat with a delicately folded cushion under your shoulders to cover your neck. Set your feet on the cement, knees bent, toes as low to the sitting bones as necessary.

 

Step 2) Breathe and raise your hips off the ground, digging your inner feet and limbs firmly into the ground. Maintain a parallel line between the inner and outer foot. To keep your shoulders on the tips of your shoulders, connect your hands behind your pelvis and stretch your arms.

 

Step 3) Raise your buttocks once your legs are almost parallel to the ground. Maintain a straight line between your knees and your feet, but drive them up, far from your hips, and extend your tailbone into the backs of your knees. Raise your pubes toward your navel.

 

Step 4) Push your chin away from your sternum and push the edge of your sternum against the chin by pressing your shoulder blades against your stomach. Firm your upper muscles, broaden your shoulder blades, and aim to raise the gap between them at the base of your neck (where it’s lying on the blanket) up into your torso.

 

Step 5) Around 30 seconds to 1 minute, remain in the posture. With an exhalation, gently roll the spine back onto the concrete.

 

Variations & Modifications

  • Bridge Pose is a perfect way to relieve discomfort from long stretches of sitting. It may also be used as a restorative posture for mindfulness practice or as a warm-up for deeper backbends. To find a version that fits better for you, consider these quick modifications to intensify or lighten the pose:
  • Position a block or bolster under your sacrum — the area on your lower back just behind your tailbone — to protect your pelvis if you’re having difficulty holding your hips elevated or to build a restorative version of the position. Allow the weight of your body to rest on the stone.
  • Holding your arms opposite your body with your palms pressed into the surface rather than clasping them behind your torso if your shoulders are really close.
  • Try One-Legged Bridge Pose (Eka Pada Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) for a more tough task: Take the pose to its maximum potential. Draw your right leg in toward your stomach on an exhalation. Exhale as you straighten your knee and raise your heel to the roof. Assume your foot is flat on the ceiling, and then raise your heel even higher. Hold for up to 30 seconds, then exhale and lower your foot to the floor. Rep the process on the other hand.
  • More advanced students should try holding the pose with their buttocks relaxed. To raise the legs, just use the thigh muscles.
  • Close your eyes and focus on your heartbeat for a more internal perspective in the posture.

Advantages

The chest, heart, and shoulders are all opened in Bridge Pose. The spine, the back of the neck, the legs, and the hip flexors are all stretched (front hip joints).tension, nausea, anxiety, headaches, insomnia, and mild depression are reduced

Bridge Pose also has a calming effect on the subconscious and is considered to be beneficial for those with elevated blood pressure. It improves lung function by opening the chest, which is beneficial for people with asthma.

Bridge Pose also activates the thyroid glands and abdominal organs, which aids digestion and regulates metabolism. It may be an especially rejuvenating posture for people who spend their days seated in front of a screen or commuting because it revitalises the legs and stretches the shoulders. Shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana) and Upward bow posture are also possible variations (Urdhva Dhanurasana).

 

  • Stretches the chest, abdomen, and back of the body
  • Calms the mind and aids in the relief of stress and minor depression
  • Stimulates the stomach, lungs, and thyroid
  • Legs are revitalised
  • Enhances metabolism
  • It aids in the relief of menopause symptoms
  • It relieves menstrual pain
  • Anxiety, nausea, backache, fever, and insomnia are all reduced

Avoid Making These Common Errors

Allowing your feet to turn out blocks the gap in your lower back. Instead, align the feet’s outer edges with the mat’s outer edges.

Avoid clenching your butt cheeks or pushing your inner groynes toward the roof, as this puts a pressure on your low back. Instead, gently lengthen your tailbone into the backs of your knees by hugging your inner knees together and releasing your inner thighs to the surface.

Tips

Bridge Pose has a soothing and rejuvenating effect on the mind and body. When doing this posture, remember to keep details in mind

 

  • If you’re in the complete version of the posture, don’t pull too hard on your shoulders to pull them away from your face. This will cause damage to your spine if you overstretch it.
  • When you stretch your arms under your torso, have your shoulder blades pulled together.
  • When you’re in the pose, don’t move your head to the right or left. This will result in neck injuries.
  • Never force your body into a deeper version of the pose. Often function within your own resources and skills, which can vary from day to day. Some days you’ll want to raise your hips up, and others you’ll want to use a block. Allow the daily variations and go with the flow rather than pushing your practise.

Wrapping Up

As the name suggests, Bridge pose resembles the shape of a bridge. Practising this yoga asana on a regular basis is highly effective for your body structure and health. The best part is it allows stretching the chest, neck, spine, and hips. More importantly, it improves blood circulation, which is vital for a healthy body. So, why wait for time, just practising Bridge pose and gain huge health benefits.

You may also like to read:-

Bitilasana – Tips for Better Performance.
Parsvottanasana – How to Do Guide for Intense Side Stretch Pose.
What is Meru Vakrasana?

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