Bridge Pose on Elbows with Head Hanging

How to do Bridge Pose on Elbows with Head Hanging

1. 1Lie supine on your mat with knees bent, feet hip-width apart and firmly planted near your sitting bones.
2. 2Press down through your feet and upper arms to lift your hips into a standard Bridge Pose.
3. 3Bend your elbows, walk your shoulder blades toward each other, and cup your sacrum or lower back with your palms, fingers pointing toward your spine or hips.
4. 4Shift your body weight steadily into your forearms and feet as you elevate your sternum toward the ceiling.
5. 5Carefully release the back of your head and neck, allowing the crown to gently hang back toward the floor while keeping your throat relaxed.
6. 6Press firmly through the inner edges of your feet to prevent your knees from splaying outward.
7. 7Breathe smoothly into your chest for several cycles, maintaining active support through your elbows and hands.
8. 8To exit, gently bring your chin back toward your chest, release your hands, and slowly roll your spine down onto the mat one vertebra at a time.

Benefits

• Deeply stretches the throat, chest, and front shoulders.
• Strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and erector spinae muscles.
• Expands thoracic lung capacity to encourage fuller diaphragmatic breathing.
• Stimulates thyroid and parathyroid glands through gentle cervical extension.
• Improves spinal extension and flexibility throughout the mid and upper back.

Common mistakes and cues

• Splaying knees

  Keep the feet parallel and engage your inner thighs to prevent your knees from falling outward.

• Collapsing weight into the neck

  Maintain firm downward pressure through your elbows and feet so the neck does not bear excessive load.

• Overarching lumbar spine

  Lengthen your tailbone toward your knees to protect your lower back from pinching.

• Holding the breath

  Allow the breath to flow continuously into the expanded chest without straining the throat.

• Abruptly dropping the head

  Ease your head back slowly under control rather than letting it fall back suddenly.

Modifications and props

• Yoga block under sacrum

  Place a foam or cork block under your sacrum instead of your hands to reduce wrist pressure while still exploring the chest opening.

• Bolster support for head

  Position a bolster or folded blanket beneath the back of your head so it rests lightly rather than hanging in open space.

• Strap around thighs

  Loop a strap around your mid-thighs at hip-width to keep the knees aligned and stabilize the adductors.

• Standard supported bridge

  Keep your chin slightly tucked and the back of your head flat on the floor if neck extension causes any pinching or dizziness.

Cautions

• Cervical spine injuries

  Avoid letting the head hang back if you have acute neck pain, herniated discs, or cervical instability.

• High blood pressure or vertigo

  Refrain from dropping the head back if you experience dizziness, vertigo, or uncontrolled hypertension.

• Wrist or carpal tunnel issues

  Avoid supporting the pelvis directly on the wrists if you have wrist pain; use a block under the sacrum instead.

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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