In short: supported bridge is bridge pose with the work taken out. You lie on your back with the knees bent, lift the hips and slide a block or bolster under the sacrum, then let the prop hold you. The front of the hips and the chest open gently while the legs, buttocks and back rest. It is one of the most common poses in restorative classes and a calm way to end a practice.
It is a supported adaptation of bridge pose, not a separate classical posture. It earns its own page because the setup, the holds and the reasons for doing it are different: in the active pose you lift yourself; here you set up once and then do nothing for several minutes.
The name
Supported Bridge Pose, block bridge and restorative bridge are modern descriptive names. You may hear “Salamba Setu Bandha Sarvangasana” in some classes; sālamba means supported, but we have not found that full name in two primary sources, so we list it only as modern usage. The Sanskrit Setu Bandha Sarvāṅgāsana belongs to the active bridge pose, and in B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Yoga it names a stronger version entered from shoulderstand.
How to make it work
Placement is everything. Feel for the sacrum, the flat triangle of bone at the back of the pelvis just above the tailbone, and put the block there. Yoga International is clear that the support goes under the sacrum and pelvis, not under the lower back; if the block sits too high the lower spine bends over it and soon complains. Yoga Journal suggests starting with the block at its lowest or medium height, with a blanket over it for padding if you like.
Once the block is in place, let go. Keep the feet hip-width apart and the knees pointing up, turn the palms up and let the shoulders spread on the floor. A strap around the thighs saves the legs from holding the knees in place. Stay for a few minutes in a regular class; Yoga Journal’s restorative sequence suggests 8 to 10 minutes, or as long as it feels comfortable. For a little more stretch at the front of the hips, slide one leg long and then the other, as long as the lower back is happy. To come out, always lift the hips, slide the block away and lower the spine slowly.
Setting up, step by step
Have the block next to your hip before you lie down, so you do not have to hunt for it with your hips in the air. Lie on your back, bend the knees and set the feet flat, about hip-width apart. Press into the feet, lift the hips and slide the block under the sacrum, then lower your weight onto it. Yoga Journal’s teaching note is to experiment with the height: start low, and only turn the block up a level if the low setting feels like too little. If the knees keep drifting apart or falling in, loop a strap around the thighs so the knees stay about hip-distance apart, and let the strap do the holding.
Keep the head still and look straight up at the ceiling rather than turning the head to one side; Yoga Journal gives this cue for every version of bridge, because turning the head with weight on the shoulders strains the neck. Let the breath slow down on its own.
Where it fits in a practice
Because the hips rest higher than the chest, Yoga Journal notes that bridge shares some of the qualities of an inversion and can be used instead of headstand or shoulderstand. The supported version is the gentlest way to use it like that, which is why it often appears near the end of a class, after the active poses and before the final rest.
Precautions in plain words
For most people this is a gentle pose. If the lower back or the sacroiliac joints are sensitive, keep the block low or use a folded blanket. The weight should rest on the shoulders, not on the neck; with a neck injury, keep the lift small or skip it. After the first trimester of pregnancy, keep it short or choose a side-lying rest, because lying flat on the back for long periods is not recommended (ACOG). Come out at once if you feel pinching in the lower back or tingling in the legs. This page is general information, not individual advice.
Before, after and where it is taught
Hugging the knees in wind-relieving pose is a good way to arrive on the back and also a natural counterpose afterwards. Supported bridge sits well next to supported fish, reclining bound angle and legs up the wall in a restorative sequence, and before corpse pose at the end of any class. You will meet it in restorative, gentle hatha, Iyengar-style and yin classes. A slow breath, as in our diaphragmatic breathing guide, suits it well.
