Bridge (Ashtanga) · Setu Bandhasana

Setu Bandhasana · 세투 반다사나 · 다리(橋) 자세

Primary Series · Yoga Chikitsa (Yoga Therapy) — Seated Sequence

Breath: 5 · Drishti (gaze): nose tip

Feet together in a diamond, crown to the floor, then the feet press the body into an arch carried on head and feet alone — Primary's final pose. It asks real neck preparation, so a shoulder-supported bridge is the honest substitute for a long while.

Alignment

Hands — arms crossed over the chest, each hand to the opposite shoulder
Feet — heels together, toes turned out 45°, the soles doing the work
Knees — bent to begin, then straightening to drive the arch higher
Gaze — the nose tip, crown and feet carrying the bridge

Entering the pose

Feet together in a diamond
Crown to the floor, chest lifted
Press the feet and arch up

Common mistakes

Full weight on an unengaged neck
Feet slipping and straining the knees

Modifications & props

The common shoulder-supported bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) is the sanctioned substitute — for years, if the neck needs them.
Crown-contact practice starts with a low arch, the weight shared honestly between feet and head.
With any history of neck pain, this pose belongs in front of a teacher only.

Benefits

Strengthens the neck's support and the back line
Opens the chest, closing Primary with a backbend
Asks strength and suppleness of the spine at once

Role in the sequence

The final pose of the seated sequence, and the only shape in Primary where the neck becomes a primary support. A series devoted to folding sets down one backbend at its close, reversing the spine's direction and bridging toward what finishing is about to bring — Urdhva Dhanurasana's arch and shoulderstand's neck flexion. True to its name, it lays a bridge: between Primary and the finishing sequence.

Practice notes

Setu means bridge and bandha means to bind or build: building a bridge. Ashtanga's Setu Bandhasana, however, is nothing like the shoulder-supported bridge other schools give the same name to. Here the crown of the head rests on the floor while the pelvis lifts, so the neck carries load directly.

That makes it one of the places in the Primary Series to treat most carefully. The rule is simple: any pain or tingling in the neck and you do not do it — you hold an ordinary bridge, shoulders on the floor and hips lifted, for the five breaths instead. That substitution does no damage at all to the flow of the sequence.

The safe entry has a fixed order. Turn the feet out about forty-five degrees and draw the heels close, fold the arms across the chest, place the crown on the floor, and lift the pelvis with the legs — never with the neck. Coming down retraces the same order in reverse.

Two checks: is the weight shared between the crown and the two feet rather than the back of the neck, and does the breath stay comfortable for all five? This is the last backbend of the Primary Series and it leads straight into Urdhva Dhanurasana, so overdoing it here costs you the pose that follows.

Heavy on the neck: substitute a shoulder-supported bridge.

Written by Choi Seongjin — 20 years of Ashtanga practice, currently teaching three classes a week. Last updated: 2026-09-05.

This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, injured, or have a medical condition, consult a qualified teacher or physician before practising. Disclaimer & Legal Notice

Other poses in this sequence

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