Category

Backbends

Level

beginner

Hold

5–8 breaths

Type

Asana

Breath

Inhale to lift the hips, breathe steadily while holding, exhale to lower.

Bridge Pose

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana — "bridge-lock posture"

A supine backbend where the feet and shoulders carry the load and the hips rise between them. Bridge is the friendliest doorway into backbending, and with a block under the sacrum it becomes a resting pose.

Step by step

1. 1Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, hip-width apart and close to your hips.
2. 2Rest your arms alongside your body, palms down.
3. 3Press evenly into both feet and, on an inhale, lift your hips toward the ceiling.
4. 4Keep your knees tracking over your ankles rather than splaying out.
5. 5Roll your shoulders slightly under and, if you like, interlace your fingers beneath you.
6. 6Keep your neck relaxed and your gaze straight up — don't turn your head.
7. 7On an exhale, release your hands and lower your spine down one vertebra at a time.