Bridge Pose Or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana Yoga For Neck

Some days just seems to race without ever being here for them. We tend to dash breathlessly the jam-packed schedules, and then at night just collapse in our bed and wonder where we have been for the past 24 hours. Sure, we might have been accomplished a lot, but did we need to take a moment to feel the pleasures of the passing day?

When you will find yourself trapped in such type of manic mind-set, unsure of what to do or whether you have noticed the color of the sky just try to return to yoga or do yoga with very renewed motivations. Your practice will become a balm which may not only soothes the frazzled nerve but also bring you back to the fullness as well as freedom of here and now.

Yoga helps to wake you up to life. It can help to save you from all the sleepwalking through the beauty, amazement, raw sensations of the passing days. One of the favorite poses for awakening to the senses to here is ’Setu Bandha Sarvangasana’ or Bridge Pose, a beginning of the backbend that can help to strengthen the legs as well as hips, massage the spine, as well as open the heart. The practice of this asana can offer an opportunity to explore the body as well as its movements with proper attention and care. In this process, the mind becomes calm and the body becomes more energized, leaving the practitioner feeling more revitalized as well as refreshed.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana Yoga For Neck

What To Know Before Doing This Asana:

This asana must always be done when the bowels and stomach are completely empty. Be sure that you have your meals at least four to six hours before you start practicing. Your food will get digested, and there will be stored energy to expend.

Although it is better to practice this asana in the morning, you can also practice it in evening.

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Steps:

Step 1 –

First lie supine on your floor, and if needed, place a thick folded blanket under the shoulders to protect the neck. Then bend the knees and set the feet on the floor, heels close to the sitting bones as much as possible.

Step 2 –

Exhale and, press the inner feet as well as arms actively in the floor, pushing your tailbone up toward the pubis, firming the buttocks, and lift the buttocks off from the floor. Try to keep the thighs and inner feet parallel to each other. Clasp the hands behind the pelvis and extending through the arms to help you staying on the top of the shoulder.

Step 3 –

Slowly lift the buttocks until the thighs are parallel from the floor. Keep the knees directly over your heels, pushing them forward, away from the hips, and lengthening the tailbone towards the back of the knees. Then lift the pubis toward your navel.

Step 4 –

Then lift the chin slightly away from sternum and, while firming your shoulder blades against the back, press the top of the sternum towards the chin. Firm your outer arms, broaden your shoulder blades, and try to lift the space in between them at the base of your neck up into the torso.

Step 5 –

Try to stay on this pose from anywhere between 30 seconds to a minute. Release with the exhalation, roll the spine slowly down on the floor.

Video:

Preparatory Poses

a. Bhujangasana
b. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
c. Virasana

Follow-up Poses

a. Bhujangasana
b. Salamba Sarvangasana
c. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
d. Urdhva Dhanurasana

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Beginner’s Tip

Once when the shoulders are properly rolled under, be sure not to pull them forcefully away from the ears, which also tend to overstretch your neck. Lift the top of your shoulder slightly toward the ears and push off the inner shoulder blades away from your spine.

Modifications & Variations

Bridge Pose or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana Yoga for neck, can also be a great way to counteract all the stress of sitting for a long period. It can be used as preparation for deeper backbends or a restorative pose for more deep relaxation. To deepen or lighten this pose, try these simple changes of variation that can work best for you:

If you are having a trouble of keeping the hips lifted or create a restorative version of this pose, you can place a block or a bolster under the sacrum; the spot on the lower back that is directly above the tailbone; to support the pelvis. You can allow the weight to rest on the block.

If the shoulders are tight, try to keep the hands alongside your body with the palms pressing in the mat rather than clasping the hands beneath the torso.

For a more greater challenge, try out One-Legged Bridge Pose or Eka Pada Setu Bandha Sarvangasana: try to come in a full version of Setu Bandha Sarvangasana yoga. Then, while exhaling, draw the right knee toward the chest. Inhale as you try to straighten the leg, extending the heel up toward ceiling. Then imagine that the foot is flat against the ceiling and while lifting up even higher through the heel. Hold it for up to 30 seconds, slowly release the foot to the floor with exhalation. Later repeat the same on the opposite side.

More experienced people can try keeping their buttocks relaxed in this pose. Try to use only the thigh muscles to lift hips.

For a more deeper internal experience in this pose, close the eyes and concentrate on the breath.

Benefits Of Setu Bandha Sarvangasana:

a. It can help to stretch the chest, neck, as well as spine
b. It can help to calm the brain and alleviate the stress as well as mild depression
c. It can help to stimulate the abdominal organs, lungs, and thyroid
d. Rejuvenate the tired legs
e. Help improve proper digestion
f. Help to give relief from the symptoms of menopause
g. Provide relief from menstrual discomfort
h. Reduce anxiety, backache, fatigue, headache, and insomnia
i. Therapeutic for the asthma, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and sinusitis

Contraindications and Cautions Setu Bandha Sarvangasana:

People who are suffering from

a. Neck injury must avoid this asana, or do it with doctor’s permission.
b. Pregnant women can do this asana, but not in a full capacity.
c. If you are having any back problem, then you must avoid this asana.

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The Science Behind This Bridge Pose or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana:

This pose, also known as the Bridge Pose, because it can open up the heart, chest, as well as shoulders. The back of your neck, hip flexors, spine, as well as the thighs also get a good stretch.

When your heart is placed higher than the head, it is considered as a mild inversion. Yet, it can give you the benefit of an inversion i.e., relief from the fatigue, anxiety, stress, headaches, insomnia, and mild depression. It can calm down the mind and reduce the blood pressure, normalizing it. The opening of chest can entail an increase in lung capacity, and therefore, this asana can greatly benefit to those who are suffering from asthma.

This asana can stimulate the thyroid gland and help to regulate the metabolism. It is also a great asana for those who spend their whole day in front of computer. The stretch in the knees as well as shoulders act like a massage, therefore refreshing as well as rejuvenating the practitioner.