While practicing Bridge Lifts with Jill in this video, focus on the coordination of the respiratory diaphragm and the pelvic diaphragm. See if you can actively draw the pelvic diaphragm up as your hips release down to the ground at the end of your exhalation. Notice if you can deepen your breath, full inhalations and full exhalations, to strengthen, stretch and sync your diaphragms. Explore the relationship of the breath to the pelvic floor in other Yoga Tune Up® Poses, try Tubular Core, Tune Up Tadasana and Uddiyana Bandha.
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I love doing these “vacuum” bridge lifts before any core class I take, whether that be a core focused class like corgeour, a technical ballet or a contemporary rehearsal. I always feel more in connection with my abs and better in control of my TB after this exercise!
This is so new to me. I have seen the video of Jill on Instagram but always felt so unsure about the context and understanding the method until YTU teacher training this week. Following that up with this article and video is helpful. Thank you for posting.
This is a good pose to connect with the pelvic diaphragm, thanks for the pointer.
good video, still working on thay myself a lot
I found it useful to embrace the breathing while doing this movement. And it’s a great way to slowly prepare the body for a lot of posture by activate slowly the core and pelvic diaphragm. Thanks!
When I’m experiencing difficulty breathing or aligning my tubular core, I’ll give this a try! Thanks for the suggestion, I would not have necessarily thought of this otherwise.
On days when I am finding it particularly hard to focus, I go to this pose and it always helps my focus. This emphasis on the pelvic/diaphragm relationship is one that helps me appreciate this pose and its meditative, re-energizing power even more. Thank you.
I tried this approach and it changed my bridge. I was able to take longer and deeper breaths, which allowed me to really embrace the pose more than I had before.
I practise bridge in my class this way and it has helped me to develop mind body coordination via the breath. I also like to reverse the breathing. Exhale up and inhale down. Now that I have learned tubular core, I use that too! Thanks for the video.
I truly feel this move is one that helps bring harmony to pelvic/diaphragm relationship. One of my favorite moves, I recently added sound at Jill’s recommendation which helps reverberate all the way down to the pelvic floor to bring that relation to light.
Thanks Amanda for bringing attention to BOTH diaphragms – respiratory AND pelvic diaphragm. It’s easy to forget about focusing on the pelvic diaphragm and Uddiyhana Bandha as well. This pose offers so much in the way of opening the chest, lengthening the psoas muscle, spine extension, vertebral articulation, linking breath with movement and a meditative free-flowing rise and fall of both body and breath.
Thank you for this entry. This will come in handy as I am completing my YTU training.
Very interesting ! I had not realized how this posture, combined with a conscious and deep breathing, can improve range and lung capacity. All this also has a relaxing effect on the body !
Thank’s !
i like tis moov ! It my favorite for connect with me!
This posture has always given me particular challenge as I’ve become aware that my bridge is more a result of a lumbar extension than any hip extension. Focusing on the coordination of both diaphragms helps me as it puts the focus on getting more out of the posture rather than getting a better photo opportunity from it! For the diaphragms to work best, they need to be aligned…so when I flare my ribs to get a higher bridge, I’m tilting the diaphragms away from each other. Great to stay aware.
I often teach the bridge lift to bring awareness of breath with movement – to deepen the awareness and connection of respiratory and pelvic diaphragm is an insight I can’t wait to try. Thanks!
Amanda, Thanks for a good reminder. I run a lot and even have to pass a running test for work. I have been working on ways to increase my lung capacity and effectiveness. Thanks for a good suggestion.
TDY
Thank you for the reminder Amanda! this is such a simple and efficient pose. To increase the opening of the back of the rib cage and all respiratory muscles I often included a coregeous ball sequencing, guiding the students to roll all over there upper back: trapezius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, intercoastal up and down. And then placing the ball between the shoulder blades dropping the hips and head on the floor (I use suitable props if need it to support the head) slowly rock side to side, like they were in a raft and the gentles waves were making making them roll right and left. With the extension of the thoracic spine it open up the full front line of the body and undo a bit of the “flexed” posture so many of us tend to be all day.
Whenever I do breathing exercises in the seated/laying position at the being and end of class, I never feel like I’m able to breathe as fully as what is expected. Today we did this exercise in class and I was amazed how much air I was able to bring into my lungs. It was something I had never felt before. I feel like this has now created a reference point as to what deep breathing should feel like.
when we’re practicing this pose in my classes, i have the students put a block between their knees. squeeze the block lightly, inhaling and lifting (sweeping arms up and over). then exhale return to floor. Although i coach them through breathing- inhale lifting, exhale, lowering. if they stayed in a pose for 5-10 breaths, i would have them focus on diaghramatic breathing. After watching Jill’s video, i am going to emphasize on the breaths when they lift/lower. The students will definately get a different feel for the pose. Thank you!
I just finished my first day of YTU certification course today where we talked a fair bit about the Tubular core. I still had doubts on whether or not I was doing it right, but this video was quite helpful! It was kind of exciting to read it and actually know what it means! Looking forward to the rest of the course. 🙂
I found exploring the core and breath through this flowing bridge and tubular core and tadasana very interesting because although I could get more breath in the lungs with the more relaxed bridge flow – once I got into tune up tadasana and tubular core I felt very strong and safe and my breath could be quite calm and measured nt strained indicating that there was enough space within the bracing of the core and tadasana to allow the diaphragm to relax and contract with a certain amount of ease. It helped me to feel calm on the inside a d strong all around. Very powerful.
I loved this blog, video and pose. I have been teaching my students this version of moving bridge. It is profiound how it allows more space for the breath with the arms raised overhead on the inhale. It’s a way for students to tap into more thoracic breathing on the inhale. I love your reference to diaghram lifting on the exhalation and the bhandas. It would be interesting to lift the pelvic floor on the exhalation as the hips extend back down.