Question:
When I do bridge during strength and mobility exercise, my low back and body are happy, but I am NOT happy. I don’t like bridge. Somehow it doesn’t seem to open me, but just is tedious. I stay in the annamaya kosha (rest of the asanas and exercises I usually am joyfully experiencing them in 3-5 koshas) With the repetitions I feel like a school girl trying to finish writing the spelling words a certain number of times. I like and I like
Mangala replies:
If it does not feel right for you
I would not recommend that you do it .
With structural yoga therapy the goal is to always stay satvic.
Question:
The book says ten repetitions with 3 breaths at the top. I carefully do them with pelvic tilt and joined with breathing. Can I do any fewer to keep my commitment and get blessings?
Answer: Yes
Question:
Is there something this pose should be teaching me that I am blocked to learn?
Answer: From a physical standpoint
the pose is about developing strength and mobility of the spine . It a also teachers how to segment the various regions of the abdominal muscles . If you’re spine is not flexible and the vertebral bodies cannot move independently there may be some blocked energy there that is causing the resistance.
Question:
My latest adjustment to the Rolling Bridge as part of Strength and Mobility in light of your comments:
I enjoy doing the rolling part because the back rolls freely and the abdomen is strong. I just don’t like the static posture. So I am doing 6 rolling bridges - up and down without holding, then two rolling up and going into setubhandasana with legs straight and back supported and holding each for 6 breaths, then two rolling into Chakrasana and holding each for 6 breaths, that gives me ten rolling bridges and two static postures with repeats which employ and stretch the same muscles (I think).
Answer:
Sounds good for you. I did all dynamic poses for years to rehab by buldging discs in my back. I just started adding static holds recently. In viniyoga it is common to do dynamic before static, or no static at all. Very vata balancing!