POSE TYPE
Inversion
POSE CATEGORY
Backbend
Setup and Key Actions
Set up in bridge pose, making sure that there’s a space between the back of your neck and the floor. Walk your shoulder blades in toward each other (avoid pulling your shoulders down, which flattens the back of the neck and puts the cervical spine at risk for injury), and bring your hands to the back of your pelvis so that you’re holding it with your thumbs touching. Walk your elbows and shoulder blades closer in. If your elbows are splayed wider than your shoulders, go back to bridge, and take the restorative form of the pose with a block under your pelvis (see modifications below). If your elbows are shoulder-width or closer, you’re okay to come up. Lift one leg at a time, and support your pelvis with your hands. The further away from your face your legs go, the more intense it will be for your wrists. Find a position that’s relatively comfortable for you, and experiment with changing angle of the legs or position of the hands if and as needed, but keep your upper body as is. Your weight is supported by your upper back here—not over your shoulders, like shoulderstand, and definitely not over your neck!
Modifications
From supported bridge (with a block under your pelvis), extend your legs up toward the sky.
