The Bridge Pose - Are there Benefits to Using a Strap?

Our feet are considered the foundation of all of our standing poses, but is it only in standing that they play this vital role?

What is the effect of being connected, having an embodied integrated experience in other poses, for example Bridge Pose?

Recently, I have been encouraging people to find their feet, find their toes, find the balls of their feet, activate their arches..... all before pushing up into Bridge from their feet. As you activate your feet, you send the power, the connection, through the calves, through the thighs, pelvic floor engage & then your pelvis automatically just wants to lift into the air. The more we can find that connection, the more the feet are connected to the ground, the more energy comes from the feet, as like water flowing through a hose, the easier it is to rise lightly into the air to create this beautiful light Bridge.

And what is kinda cool, is by doing this, you get to see where your connection is, where you loose the connection and what is happening.

Have you ever noticed that in Bridge, your foot may roll in or out.... your knees may spread in or out. That will change the effect, the flow from the foot the whole way through to the crown of the head.

It's not something that your necessarily aware of because you can't see your feet and we loose our attention to our feet because we're paying more attention to other areas of the the body.

Placing a Strap around the thigh, so just above the knees, that is tight enough to give you a little bit of resistance when you come up. You want to be in that beautiful alignment, pelvis to knees to ankles to feet....making sure the strap is tight enough to provide resistance but not upset the alignment.

When you do that, once more press the feet into the ground & allow your body to rise up into Bridge, now with the resistance of the strap.

I am offering that you will feel the security of it. I am offering that you will maybe prevent the feet from rolling in or out because you now have that feedback. Once the feet stay solidly on the ground, the knees can stay in alignment & now you have this beautiful connection through toes right up to the crown of the head.

Energy can flow, Pranayama can flow... it becomes a really strong & light pose. That's what we are looking for in our Embodied yoga, this beautiful flow & connection from head to toe, giving lightness & strength.

Have some fun playing with it, see what works for you. Let me know, did it feel any different?