Bridge

Setu Bandhasana

set-oo bahn-DHAH-sah-nah

Pose categories

Back bends

Primary body parts engaged

Glutes & Hip Flexors, Hamstrings, Spine

Secondary

Abs, Chest, Quadriceps

Stretches spine; strengthens glutes and hamstrings

Stimulates lungs, thyroid and abdominal organs

Calms mind

How to perform Bridge

Lie on your back. Bend your knees and bring your feet near your buttocks, hip-width apart. Rest your arms by your sides, palms down.
With an inhale push into your feet to lift your hips. Reach your chest toward your chin.
Clasp your hands underneath you and tuck your shoulders under.
Hold the pose and take slow, deep breaths.
Unclasp your hands, then exhale to lower.

Alignment cues

Bring feet hip-width apart
Align knees over ankles
Lengthen tailbone toward knees
Do not turn neck

Modification: Keep arms flat on the floor to lessen the stretch in the shoulders.

More yoga poses to discover

Upward Facing Dog · Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

Locust · Salabasana

Bridge · Setu Bandhasana

Browse all yoga poses

Bridge (Setu Bandhasana in Sanskrit) is a beginner yoga pose that belongs to the back bends category. This asana targets glutes & hip flexors, hamstrings and spine, and also involves abs, chest and quadriceps muscles. Bridge stimulates lungs, thyroid and abdominal organs; stretches spine; strengthens glutes and hamstrings and also calms mind. Refer to the illustration and instructions above for how to perform this posture correctly. Discover more yoga asanas and yogic breathing exercises in our free yoga pose directory – a visual resource for yoga teacher training students as well as practitioners of all levels. Finally, shop our best-selling Yoga Cards products!

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