Bridge Pose

How to do Bridge Pose

1. 1Lie flat on your back with knees bent, feet hip-width apart and planted firmly about a hand's distance from your sit bones.
2. 2Rest your arms along your sides with your palms facing down, actively pressing your shoulders into the mat.
3. 3Press evenly through all four corners of your feet and inhale to peel your spine off the floor, lifting your hips toward the ceiling.
4. 4Interlace your fingers beneath your pelvis and roll your shoulders underneath your back to broaden your collarbones.
5. 5Engage your glutes and inner thighs to keep your knees tracking directly over your ankles without splaying outward.
6. 6Lengthen your tailbone toward the backs of your knees while keeping your chin slightly lifted away from your sternum to protect your neck.
7. 7Release your hands, exhale smoothly, and roll down through your spine one vertebra at a time to return to the floor.

Benefits

• Strengthens the gluteal muscles, hamstrings, and lower back extensors.
• Stretches the hip flexors, quadriceps, and anterior chest muscles.
• Stimulates abdominal organs and supports healthy digestion.
• Improves thoracic spinal mobility and counteracts slouched posture.
• Calms the central nervous system to help alleviate mild fatigue and tension.

Common mistakes and cues

• Splaying knees

  Letting the knees fall wide strains the lower back; actively hug your inner thighs toward an imaginary midline.

• Turning the head

  Moving your neck while bearing weight on your shoulders can cause cervical strain; keep your gaze fixed directly up at the ceiling.

• Over-arching the lumbar spine

  Squeezing only the lower back can cause compression; balance the lift by lengthening the tailbone forward toward the knees.

• Feet turned outwards

  Pointing the toes outward twists the knee joints; keep the outer edges of your feet parallel to each other.

Modifications and props

• Supported Bridge with Block

  Slide a yoga block on its lowest or medium height beneath your sacrum for a gentle, restorative variation.

• Block Between Thighs

  Place a block between your inner thighs and squeeze gently to maintain proper hip and knee alignment.

• Strap Around Ankles

  Hold onto a strap looped under your ankles if reaching the hands together pinches your shoulders.

• Heels Elevated

  Place a folded blanket under your heels if tight ankles or calves make flat foot contact uncomfortable.

Cautions

• Neck and cervical spine injuries

  Avoid lifting too high or pressing the back of the neck flat against the floor, ensuring a natural cervical curve remains.

• Acute lower back pain

  Practice a low or supported variation with a block rather than forcing a high active lift.

• Late-stage pregnancy

  Avoid prolonged time lying flat on your back, opting for supported and brief holds with props.

If you are working with an injury, pregnancy or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practising this pose.

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