Bridge Pose Yoga Stretch
Strengthen your glutes and hamstrings while stretching your chest and hip flexors with Bridge Pose. Improve posture and relieve back pain.
Description
The Bridge Pose Yoga Stretch is a key postural yoga pose that stretches the front of the body and strengthens the back of the body. It opens the chest, heart, and shoulders. It also helps alleviate stress and mild depression.
How to Do Bridge Pose Yoga Stretch
- 1Setup
Lie supine on your mat with knees bent, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart, and heels close enough to touch your fingertips. Position your arms alongside your body with palms down.
- 2Setup
Ensure your feet are parallel and your knees are tracking over your ankles, not splaying out or collapsing inward.
- 3
On an exhale, press through your feet and lift your hips off the mat, engaging your glutes and hamstrings, until your thighs are roughly parallel to the floor.
- 4
Keep your chest open by drawing your shoulder blades slightly together and down, and avoid pressing your chin into your chest.
- 5
Hold this position, maintaining a long spine from your shoulders to your knees, and breathe deeply. To release, slowly lower your hips back to the mat with control.
Tips
- To deepen the stretch and chest opening, interlace your fingers underneath your back and press your arms into the mat as you lift your hips.
- Focus on lifting from your inner thighs and glutes rather than pushing excessively with your lower back, which can cause discomfort.
- Imagine a block between your knees to help maintain proper hip-width alignment and prevent your knees from splaying outwards.
- Keep your gaze directed upwards or straight ahead to maintain a neutral neck position and avoid straining.
Common Mistakes
- ×Arching the lower back excessively: Instead of over-arching, focus on lengthening the tailbone towards your knees and engaging your core to protect your spine.
- ×Letting knees splay out or collapse in: Maintain hip-width distance between your knees throughout the pose by gently engaging your inner thighs.
- ×Pushing off the toes instead of the heels: Ensure even pressure through your entire foot, especially your heels, to properly engage the hamstrings and glutes.
Variations
Plow Yoga Pose
The Plow Yoga Pose gently stretches your spine, hamstrings, and shoulders, promoting flexibility and calming your nervous system.
Bow Yoga Pose
Deepen your backbend and open your chest with the Bow Pose. This yoga stretch strengthens the back, improves posture, and increases flexibility.
Cobra Yoga Pose
Perform the Cobra Yoga Pose to gently stretch your rectus abdominis and open your chest, shoulders, and hip flexors.
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Warrior Pose is a dynamic standing yoga stretch that builds lower body strength, opens hips and chest, and improves balance.
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