Setubandha Sarvangasana, or Supported Bridge Pose

I slightly misquoted BKS Iyengar in my video for @yogajournal want to correct it! I said that he spoke of Setu Bandha Sarvangasana or Bridge Pose as a pose that would change the world. What he actually said is that it was “God’s gift to humanity.” I remember hearing this (correct quote) first from a teacher @iyengaryoganyc and the absurd gravity of it gave me pause and has done so ever since.

The supported version of the pose, here, is a study in repose. Regardless of the support you use, if any, Setu Bandha is a backbend AND it’s also preparation for shoulderstand, sarvangasana. Its essence, the architecture of a bridge — fragile and impossibly long but still strong enough to bear tons of weight — is what makes the pose both exquisite and at the same time human and accessible. It’s one of the most popular poses in the broader yoga world for all these reasons. Just as the E chord revolutionized music via rock and roll, this pose holds steady as an action in nearly every yoga class for its basic benefit and evolutionary potential