Eka Pada Setu Bandha Sarvangasana – Bridge Pose

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Eka pada setu bandha sarvāṅgāsana

 Bridge Pose with raised leg and active bending in the upper spine.

B K S  Iyengar on Hatha Yoga:

The human body is in itself a miniature universe. Hatha Yoga consists of the syllables Ha and Tha, meaning sun or moon. The sun and moon energy, it is claimed, flow through the two principal Nādīs, Pingalā and Idā, which emanate from the right and left nostrils, respectively, and lead down to the origin of the spine. Pingalā is the Nādī of the sun, while Idā is that of the moon. Between them lies Sushumnā, the Nādī of fire. As mentioned before, Sushumna-Nādī is the main channel through which the nerves energy flows. It lies within the Meru-Danda or the spine. Pingalā and Idā intersect and Sushumna in different places. These nodes are called Chakras or flywheels. They regulate the mechanism of the body like flywheels regulate a machine.¹

Text fonts and notes:

eka = one

pāda = foot, leg

setu = bridge

bandha = to bend, to construct (setu bandha = to construct a bridge)

sarvāṅgāsana = pose of all parts, the sanscrit term for the Shoulderstand

nāḍī = energy pathways in the subtle – not physical – body, but which have certain correspondences with the physical nerve pathways

meru = mystical mountain that plays an important role in the Indian legends of world creation

daṇḍa = stick

(The spine is the most compact part of the human body. In yoga, the spine is also called the meru-daṇḍa.)

(1) B K S Iyengar, Light on yoga, Harper Collins Publishers 2006, ISBN 978-8172235017, p. 402

Image fonts (20-07-22): 3nadis-Image of V.S.Basati on yogacarol.co.uk , Wheele Pose-B K S Iyengar, Light on yoga, p. 209

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