Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana): Steps, Tradition, Safety and a Gentler Lift

Setu Bandhasana, or bridge pose, is a gentle backbend done lying on the back. The knees are bent, the feet are flat on the floor, and you press into the feet to lift the hips so that the body forms a slope or bridge from the shoulders to the knees. The Sanskrit name means the construction of a bridge. It is widely taught to beginners, and it is milder than most backbends, but it still loads the neck and low back and so deserves care.

Here are the steps, what teachers say about it, the dosha view as a modern convention, the people who should avoid it and a smaller lift. Please also read the safety notes for the whole section.

How to do it

1. Lie on your back on a mat. Bend the knees and place the feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, with the heels fairly close to the buttocks and the knees above the ankles.
2. Rest the arms along the sides with the palms down. Keep the neck long, the head resting in the middle, and the gaze straight up.
3. Breathe in. As you breathe out, press into the feet and lift the hips only as high as feels comfortable, with the thighs roughly parallel and the knees pointing forwards.
4. Keep the head still. Do not turn it from side to side while the hips are lifted, because this loads the neck.
5. Hold for three to five easy breaths, keeping the knees from falling outwards or collapsing inwards.
6. Breathe out and lower the spine slowly, one part at a time, from the upper back to the tailbone. Rest with the knees together for a few breaths.

Aim for a lift that is comfortable and not for the highest possible one. A low bridge held calmly is a complete practice.

What the tradition says

Setu Bandhasana is a posture of modern postural yoga, and the name is not found in the main medieval hatha texts, although similar backbends are described in them, so be careful of claims of great age. Modern teachers describe it as strengthening the legs and the back of the body, opening the chest and stretching the front of the hips, and some use a resting version as a calming posture. Those are descriptions of experience and teaching, and not claims of treating any disease.

Bridge pose and the doshas

Linking postures to doshas is a modern convention, not a rule of the classical medical texts of Ayurveda. It has not been tested.

• Teachers often say that gentle backbends can be stimulating and suit kapha, which tradition describes as heavy and slow, and so they suggest a few more breaths in the pose. See kapha.
• For pitta, which tradition describes as hot and driven, they suggest a low lift held softly, followed by a long rest. See pitta.
• For vata, which tradition describes as light, dry and easily depleted, they suggest a small lift, short holds and a supported rest after. See vata.

Your own comfort is a better guide than a dosha label.

Who should avoid it or take care

• Anyone with a neck injury, neck pain or cervical spondylosis should ask a doctor or physiotherapist first, since the pose puts weight through the neck.
• People with back problems, including disc injury, should keep the lift small and ask a doctor.
• Those with high blood pressure, glaucoma or heart conditions should ask a doctor and avoid long holds.
• In pregnancy, lying flat on the back is not advised later on, and bridge needs adapting. Ask your doctor.
• Anyone with recent abdominal surgery, a hernia or abdominal pain should avoid it.
• People with knee problems should keep the knees over the ankles and avoid deep pressure.
• Those with shoulder injuries should keep the arms resting on the floor.
• Anyone feeling dizzy, unwell or very tired should skip it.

A gentler option

A well-known gentle form uses support under the hips. Lie on your back, lift the hips a little and slide a block, a firm cushion or a rolled blanket under the sacrum, the flat bone at the base of the spine, then rest your weight on it. The support does the work, and you can stay for a minute or two. Another option is to do only small hip lifts, going up and down with the breath for a few rounds, without holding. If lying on the back is a problem, you can do a gentle pelvic tilt while lying on a bed or on the floor with a pillow under the head. Remember the half-strength rule in exercise by dosha and stop before you are tired.

What research says

There is little research on bridge pose by itself. Bridge-type exercises are used by physiotherapists for strengthening the glutes and the back of the body, which is a different matter from the yoga posture. Yoga trials taken as a whole show small benefits for chronic low back pain and stress, with variable quality. Claims that bridge pose lowers blood pressure, relieves asthma or helps thyroid conditions, which turn up in some books, are not supported by good evidence. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says that people with spine problems, high blood pressure or glaucoma should get medical clearance for yoga.

Making it part of your practice

Bridge works well after cat and cow and before a lying rest in corpse pose, with the knees hugged in for a moment after the lift. Compare it with the front-lying cobra pose as another gentle backbend. The yoga sequence tool offers short routines in the traditional style. Practise with an empty stomach, and never force the lift.

The hip lift above is described as a tradition, not as medical advice. The medical disclaimer sets out the limits of this site. Anyone with a medical condition should ask a doctor before trying it. A registered Ayurvedic practitioner is the person to see for Ayurvedic treatment.

Frequently asked questions