In short: bridge pose is a backbend done lying on the back: with the knees bent and the feet flat, you press into the feet and lift the hips, so the body forms an arch from the shoulders to the knees. It strengthens the buttocks, thighs and back and opens the chest and the front of the hips. It is one of the most adaptable backbends, from a gentle lift to a strong hold, and a common preparation for wheel.
Bridge is simple to start and easy to scale, which is why it turns up in beginner, therapeutic and advanced classes alike. Its name, though, is less simple: the same Sanskrit name describes two different ways into the pose. Below we explain the names, the cues, the precautions, one-legged bridge and where it is taught. The fully supported, restful version on a block has its own page, supported bridge.
The name: one Sanskrit name, two entries
Most classes, Yoga Journal and Yoga International call the floor bridge Setu Bandha Sarvāṅgāsana: setu bridge, bandha lock or construction, sarvāṅga all the limbs. In Light on Yoga, however, Setu Bandha Sarvāṅgāsana (also called Uttāna Mayūrāsana) is entered from shoulderstand: the hands support the back and the legs drop over to the floor, finishing with the legs straight and the body supported on the head, neck, shoulders, elbows and feet. Iyengar also has a separate Setu Bandhāsana, an advanced arch on the crown of the head. The Bihar School teaches the floor shape, holding the ankles, as Kandharāsana, the shoulder pose. The shorter Setubandhāsana (Setu Bandhasana) is also used for the floor bridge, for example in the Indian government’s Common Yoga Protocol, which also calls it Catuśpādāsana and has you hold the ankles, and by Kripalu. On this page “bridge” means the floor version with the knees bent.
How to make bridge work
Lie on the back with the knees bent, feet flat and hip-width apart, heels close to the buttocks and arms beside the body. Press into the feet and lift the hips; Yoga Journal suggests starting the movement from the pubic bone rather than the navel. Keep the knees in line with the hips and feet; if they splay, squeeze a block between the thighs. Press the upper arms down, roll the shoulders under and broaden the collarbones; you can interlace the hands under the back or, as the Bihar School does, hold the ankles.
Protect the neck: keep its natural curve, do not press it into the floor, and never turn the head to the side while the hips are up. Breathe evenly. Holds vary from a few breaths to a minute; the Bihar School practises five to ten rounds, lifting and lowering. Come down slowly, spine first and hips last.
Precautions in plain words
Bridge puts some weight on the shoulders and upper back, so go gently with neck or shoulder injuries and do not turn the head. The Bihar School advises against it with peptic or duodenal ulcers or abdominal hernia, and suggests that in advanced pregnancy the hips rise no more than about 15 cm; check with your midwife or doctor. If the lower back pinches, lift less and lengthen the thighs toward the knees. If the knees hurt, move the feet a little further away.
One-legged bridge
From bridge, keep the hips level and lift one leg: bend the knee toward the chest, then extend the leg up toward the ceiling, hold a few breaths, lower the foot on an exhalation and repeat on the other side. Yoga Journal offers this as a way to make bridge more demanding, holding about 30 seconds per side. It asks for strength in the standing leg and buttock to stop the pelvis dropping. In Light on Yoga, Eka Pāda Setu Bandha Sarvāṅgāsana is the one-leg-up form of the shoulderstand-entry bridge: the legs are straight, one is raised vertical, and the hands support the back. Treat one-legged bridge as an intermediate variation; skip it if the lower back or neck complains.
Preparation and what comes next
Prepare with cat-cow, cobra and hero pose for the front thighs. Bridge prepares for wheel, camel and, in Iyengar practice, for shoulderstand. Afterwards, hug the knees in (wind-relieving pose), rest in child’s pose or fold in seated forward bend.
Where it is taught
The floor bridge is taught in almost every hatha, vinyasa and restorative class (with a block), in the Bihar School system as Kandharasana, and in Iyengar classes alongside the shoulderstand-entry version from Light on Yoga.
