Bridge One Leg

one leg bridge
YOGA POSTURES ASANA YOGA POSES YOGA POSITIONS
Tadasana Downward Dog Cobra pose Headstand Shoulderstand Warrior 1 pose Warrior 2 pose Triangle pose Half Moon pose child pose Cat Pose
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Eka Pada Setu Bandhasanasana

Translation: One Leg Bridge pose

 

Bridge poseLying on the back place the hands down on the mat beside the hips. Bend the knees and take the heels quite close to the buttocks. Raise the pelvis and chest remaining grounded with the shoulders, neck, head and feet.

 

Walk the legs out stopping when the big toes struggle to touch the mat. Bend one knee up then straighten the leg. Push on the inside of the leg that is grounded.

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Extend up through the other leg as much as possible. Point the toes, heels or ball points of the toes. This means that the supporting leg has to work twice as hard. It also has to rotate slightly inwards to keep it straight.
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Allow the shoulders to touch the mat. Do not let the vertebrae in the lower neck touch the mat.

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Create space around the neck for the elements to flow.
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This is an area where tension happily resides blocking all of the elements. Always be aware of space around the neck in yoga postures.

Benefits
This posture has an incredible strengthening effect on the back and legs. The muscles on the leg that is down and its hip extensors are strengthened. These three muscles, the semimembranosus, the semitendinosus and the biceps femoris, all connect to the hip. They contract with the gluteus maximus to support the body.

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The muscles on the leg that is up and the hip flexors are also strengthened. These are the psoas major, iliacus and the rectus femorus.
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Deep muscles in the spine are strengthened such as the iliocostal lumborum, longissimus thoracis, iliocostalis thoracisis. longissimus cervicis, longissimus capitis and the iliocostalis cervicis, spinalis thoracis.

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Vinyasa Yoga postures to transition from and to:

cobra pose Bhujangasana  fish pose matsyasana cobra pose Bhujangasana bridge on the head Yoga Posture Samabhasana Yoga Posture shoulderstand Yoga Posture yoga position asana Yoga Positions yoga position asana Lying Spinal Twists Half Revolved Belly Pose

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Setubandhasana Bridge On The head Matsyasana Matsyasana Setu Bandha Sirsasana Urdhva Dhanurasana Eka Pada Salamba Sarvangasana Sarvangasana Halasana Eka pada Jathara Parivarttanasana Ardha Jathara Parivarttanasana

 

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Yoga Teacher Tips
This posture may be too hard for students to perform. Offer a version where the supporting leg is bent. This will be a quick instruction that will keep the flow of the class for all levels.

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