Health Benefits of Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)

The modern lifestyle has reduced the amount of physical activity in a day, forcing us to sit in one place for a long time. As a result, hurting our normal body posture and inducing back pains. Fortunately, there are a few yoga postures we can try at home to get rid of it. One of which is the bridge pose.

The pose strengthens the back and releases tension in the muscle. Read the full article to learn about what it is, the health benefits of bridge pose, precautions and others.

Be mindful of the following precautions and contraindications to avoid an accident while performing bridge asana:

• Do not perform this yoga pose if you have a back, neck or shoulder injury.
• Avoid doing this asana if you suffer from severe knee and neck injuries.
• Unless under the guidance of an experienced trainer, pregnant women should avoid performing bridge yoga poses.
• Before performing this workout, do some warm-up and only wear comfortable clothes.
• Avoid eating heavy meals at least one hour before attempting this workout. It is best if you perform it on an empty stomach, i.e., after waking up in the morning.
• Clean or empty your bowel movement to perform this exercise.
• Consult your doctor about this yoga pose if you have had a back, knee or leg surgery.

Bridge pose or Setu Bandhasana is an excellent yoga posture for the back. It derives its name from Setu, meaning bridge and Bandhana, meaning lock. Moreover, it has been named because one looks like a bridge while performing it.

This pose targets the hamstrings, glutes, spine and hip flexors. Furthermore, while performing it, individuals will be engaging their chest, core and quadriceps muscles all at one time. To know about the benefits of Setu Bandhasana, refer to the below list.

There are plenty of benefits you can extract from performing Setu Bandha asana. Some of these includes:

1. Releasing Stress From the Back

Like most yoga poses, one of the primary purposes of Bandhasana is to calm the body and mind. It alleviates build-up stress in your back and reduces depression. It does so by improving the blood circulation in your back and providing appropriate oxygen to your brain and nervous system.

2. Stretching Your Back

Without any doubt, one of the top benefits of bridge pose is being able to stretch your neck, spine, hips and chest at once. As a result, the blood circulation in the areas improves, and the tension in your muscles gets released.

3. Toning the Abs and Buttocks

You must hold your body while engaging your ab muscles and buttocks in the bridge yoga pose. This helps burn the extra fat in the area and tone your muscles. Thus, it serves as an excellent exercise for those looking to lose weight from home workouts.

4. Improving Digestion

Another muscle this pose impacts is your abdomen. This, in return, improves your digestion by lowering constipation issues and the level of acid in the stomach. Moreover, if you pair this yoga pose with Pawanmuktasan (wind-relieving pose), you can improve your back and spine health even better.

5. Stimulating Organs

Apart from strengthening, you also stimulate your abdominal organs and lungs through this asana. Further, it improves the function of your thyroid gland by stretching the neck and improving its blood flow.

6. Improving the Function of Your Chakras

Setu Bandhasana also improves the function of your chakras. For instance, it works to stimulate your Vishuddha (throat), Muladhara (root), and Anahata (heart) chakras. Your root chakra helps you stay grounded and connected with yourself.

The throat chakra, on the other hand, improves expression and communication. At the same time, the heart chakra induces a feeling of compassion, warmth and healing.

Other benefits

• Stretches neck, chest spine and hips
• Improves circulation of blood
• Calms your nervous system and brain
• Gives therapeutic effect to sinusitis, osteoporosis and hypertension patients
• Control symptoms of asthma and high pressure
• Prevents anxiety, insomnia and fatigue
• Relieves effects of menopause
• Helps control mild depression 
• Heals tired legs

The following is the step-by-step guide explaining to you how to perform a bridge pose:

Step 1: Begin by lying on your back on a yoga mat placed on the ground.

Step 2: Fold your knees while maintaining a hip distance between them. Make sure it is 10 to 12 inches from your pelvis. Also, your knees and ankle should be in a straight line.

Step 3: Keep your arms beside you with palms facing down.

Step 4: Inhale, lift your lower back slowly, then your middle back and lastly, your upper back off the ground. Raise it till it is only your shoulder that is touching the floor. At this position, only your shoulder, arm and feet would be the three pillars of support.

Step 5: Now roll on your shoulder and touch your chin to the chest.

Step 6: Engage your abs and buttocks in the exercise by tightening them.

Step 7: For an advanced position, you can bring your hands closer and interlock them beneath your torso to push your body a little higher. This position will make you look like a bridge.

Step 8: Keep breathing slowly and normally. Hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds and then release.

Step 9: Exhale and lower your back.

Bridge pose is an effective exercise helping you with many body issues, but it needs advanced level backbends to perform it perfectly. So, here are some tips you can undertake for better practice:

1. Practice Few Times: When attending a yoga session, you might have noticed the yoga teacher first helps you with two-three rounds of the yoga pose to bring perfection. Do the same while practising at home alone. You will see that after two to three times of performing the bridge pose, you can bend your back better and hips higher.
2. Relax the Glutes: Lift your hips using your legs and let the glutes relax. Imagine glutes like an apple hanging from a tree.
3. Breathe Throughout the Exercise: Inhalation and Exhalation are essential while performing bridge pose. It helps you stay relaxed and hold the position for a little longer.
4. Ground Your Feet: Press your feet firmly on the ground. It will help you pull your hips higher.
5. Do Not Move Your Head: Avoid moving your head left or right when in position. It can cause neck injury.
6. Abstain From Forcing Yourself: Do not push yourself to attain perfection. Listen to your body as flexibility differs from one person to another, and you don’t want to hurt yourself.

For beginners, it may not be easy to perform a bridge pose. Thus, they can perform the following easy modifications:

• Take the Help of a Folded Blanket or Yoga Block: Help your back by placing a block or folded blanket under your shoulders.
• Use Hand for Support: If it is difficult to raise your back, place your hands on your back for support.
• Access Wall Support: Suppose you are slipping while maintaining your posture. Try placing your feet beside a wall. It will provide the necessary support and avoid falling.