Bridge Pose

About This Pose

Bridge Pose is one of the most accessible and most effective poses in the beginner repertoire. It strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back in a position that most people never use in daily movement, which is part of why the results are so noticeable. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the mat hip-width apart. The feet are close enough to the hips that the fingertips can brush the heels when the arms are extended alongside the body. Press into the feet and lift the hips toward the ceiling. The glutes should be the primary driver of the lift. Squeeze them at the top. This distinction matters because many people lift from the lower back instead, which reduces the glute work and can cause lumbar compression. The pose can be held statically for five to eight breaths or done dynamically: lift on the inhale, lower on the exhale, for eight to ten repetitions. Both variations are useful. The dynamic version builds endurance. The static hold develops sustained activation. Interlacing the hands beneath the pelvis and pressing the arms into the mat creates a natural chest opener and helps stabilize the position. Bridge Pose is also a hip flexor stretch. When the hips are lifted, the hip flexors on the front of the thigh are lengthened. For people who sit all day, this reversal of the sitting position feels immediately good. Three sets of ten bridges, done most mornings, will change how your lower back feels within a month.

How to Practice

1. 1

   Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the mat hip-width apart and close to the hips.

2. 2

   Press the arms flat along the mat, palms down.

3. 3

   On an inhale, press firmly through all four corners of both feet and lift the hips toward the ceiling.

4. 4

   Roll the shoulders under the back and optionally interlace the fingers beneath the pelvis.

5. 5

   Keep the knees tracking over the second toes and the chin slightly away from the chest.

6. 6

   Hold for 5–8 breaths, then exhale and lower the spine slowly, one vertebra at a time.

Benefits

• Strengthens the glutes and hamstrings
• opens the chest and hip flexors