Being able to hold a bridge is a challenging, but rewarding, flexibility goal because it requires flexibility and strength through the entire backbending chain, from our hips, to our back, to our shoulders and arms (and even hands!). But specifically because it is requires coordination, strength, and flexibility through the full body, it can be easy to push too hard in one area, or forget to engage another, or simply not have the prerequisite range of motion to comfortably support the pose. At best that might mean your bridge is a less effective stretch than it could be, or at worse it could hurt and lead to potential injury.

So in today’s post we’re going to look at the 8 most common mistakes I see students make in bridges, and how to address them. And these aren’t just “beginner” mistakes, I have worked with contortion-level bendy students in private lessons who make some of these!

This is a topic I wish I had learned about WAY earlier in my flexibility training journey, because it made such a huge difference in my leg flexibility (and I see the same thing happen with many students that I work with).

For the longest time, I just thought I had tight calves when it came to forward folds . . .

Being able to reach both hands behind your back and touch or clasp your fingertips is a challenging goal lots of people like to work towards. This type of flexibility can be helpful for yogis who like to work on funky arm binds (it’s the same position used in Gomukhasana or Cow Face Pose, but the flexibility can translate to other arm binds as well), for aerialists and pole dancers who need funk shoulder rotation and behind-the-back reaches to grab their apparatus, and for regular Average Joe folks who want enough shoulder mobility to scratch an itch on their back. Personally, I find having a big range of motion in this pose helpful because it allows my to put sunscreen on my own back without needing anyone else’s help (maybe not a primary motivation for most people, but certainly a plus in my book!).