Bridge exercise: Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

Pronunciation and meaning

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana: SAY-too BUN-duh sar-vahn-GAHS-uh-nuh. The long last word is stressed on GAHS.

The bridge exercise lifts the hips from the floor while you lie on your back, so the body forms an arch like a bridge between the shoulders and the feet. In yoga it is Setu Bandha Sarvangasana. Setu means bridge, bandha means lock or binding, sarvanga means the whole body and asana means posture.

How to do Bridge Pose

1. Lie on your back with the knees bent and the feet flat on the mat, hip-width apart and parallel, heels about a hand's length from the buttocks.
2. Rest the arms by your sides, palms down, and check that your fingertips can just brush your heels.
3. Press through the feet, especially the inner edges and the heels, and on an inhale lift the hips off the floor.
4. Keep the knees pointing straight ahead over the ankles, and let the chest lift toward the chin without pushing the chin down into the chest.
5. Press the upper arms into the mat, or interlace the hands underneath you and roll the shoulders in, whichever lets the chest open.
6. Hold for five breaths, then lower down slowly on an exhale, one section of the spine at a time.

Make it easier

• Supported Bridge: slide a block under the sacrum, the flat bony part at the back of the pelvis, and rest there with the arms relaxed.
• Squeeze a block between the thighs so the knees do not drift apart.
• Keep the hips low and lift only a few centimetres if the lower back is sensitive.
• Put a folded blanket under the shoulders, with the head off it, if the neck feels compressed.

Pregnancy and after birth

Pregnancy. Adapt. Short holds may be fine early in pregnancy. Later on, lying flat on the back can make some people feel dizzy or unwell, so keep it brief, or skip it for a pose on hands and knees. Check with your OB or midwife before you start.

After birth. Adapt. Once your doctor or midwife has cleared you to exercise, begin with small lifts, rolling up and down with the breath. After a caesarean birth, wait for their advice on when to start, and stop if you feel pulling across the scar or pressure in the pelvic floor.

Expecting or postpartum? See joahnnalee.com for the stage-by-stage guides.

Common mistakes

• Letting the knees splay outward, which shifts the weight onto the outer feet.
• Turning the head to the side while the hips are lifted.
• Squeezing the buttocks so hard that the lower back pinches.
• Placing the feet too far away, so the hamstrings cramp and the hips cannot rise.

The bridge exercise turns up in gym warm-ups, physio sessions and yoga classes alike, and the yoga version is Bridge Pose. Bridge is a gentle backbend that begins lying down, which makes it approachable for people who find standing backbends daunting. It works the backs of the legs as much as the spine.

Because the floor holds you, it suits yoga for beginners, where there is time to learn where the work belongs before the hips lift any higher. If you are new to classes, what to expect in your first yoga class covers the basics.

Bridge is also the preparation for Wheel Pose, the full backbend from the floor, which is best left until Bridge feels easy for several breaths.

Lifting the hips further with the weight on the shoulders leads toward Shoulder Stand, which needs a careful blanket set up. Sitting rather than lying, the same lift of the hips is reverse table top, on the table top pose page.

How do you progress the bridge exercise?

Move to the next step only when the current one feels steady for all its repetitions, with the knees pointing forward and no pinch in the lower back.

A resistance band just above the knees adds work for the sides of the hips at any step.

Reps or holds?

Lifting and lowering with the breath trains the glutes and hamstrings to switch on smoothly, which is why gyms and physios favour it. Holding builds endurance and lets you notice the chest and the front of the hips opening, which is the yoga emphasis. A balanced week can include both: reps on two days, a few long holds on another.

How long until you notice a difference?

With bridges two or three times a week, many people find the movement feels steadier and less effortful within a few weeks, mainly as coordination improves. Building noticeably stronger glutes usually takes longer, often a couple of months of consistent work, with the dose rising gradually.

A note on damp floors

In humid weather, feet can slide forward on a sweaty mat as you lift, which pulls the hips down and tires the hamstrings. Practise barefoot on a dry, grippy mat, wipe the feet before you start, and if you are on tile, rest the toes against a wall or a heavy book so the feet cannot creep away.