Asana The Bridge to Pratyahara— Setu Bandha Sarvangasana ON
REACH FROM THE SOLE TO THE SOUL BY NAGHMEH AHI
O
ne of the first inversions we learn in Iyengar yoga is Salamba Sarvangasana. In Yoga: A Gem for Women, esteemed Dr. Geeta S. Iyengar, calls Salamba Sarvangasana “the Queen of all the asanas.” She further elaborates, “Sarvangasana develops the feminine qualities of patience and emotional stability. It is considered to be the mother of asanas. As a mother struggles throughout her life for the happiness of her children, the mother of asanas strives for peace and health of the body.” Not only is this supported, all-limbs pose considered the “mother” pose, but it gives birth to Setu Bandha Sarvangasana. setu – bridge bandha – lock sarva – all
anga – limbs asana – seat
A bridge connects one place to another. It links from a part to another, and what is in between is upheld, stable and steady. A bridge creates a thoroughfare where there was none. It creates harmony as it shows how two far away points can cooperate in their reach to uphold the structure. A bridge is built. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana is formed at the end of practice, through a well-rounded labour of love—tapas— and is accessible in its many generous variations, in all levels of practice from beginner onwards. Every age and body type can benefit from the pose from daily practice to convalescence. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana is an introduction to how the practice of asana is a bridge to the practice of involution—pratyahara. The practitioner learns to uphold the Self (atman) that resides within, through the instrument of the whole body (sarvanga) with the support (salamba) of the Self. The Light | Spring – Summer 2021
uddhared atmana tmanam one should uplift oneself by the Self —The Bhagavad Gita 6.5, Sargeant Setu Bandha Sarvangasana introduces the body to the senses, showing the way to quietude and a settledness requisite for observation of the self—svadhyaya. “In Salamba Sarvangasana when the chest is brought to touch the chin, it is called chinlock or Jalandhara Bandha. Bandhas are used to consciously prevent the mind and the consciousness from going beyond certain points.” (Astadala Yogamala Vol. 1, p. 258). Setu Bandha Sarvangasana is an introduction to forming an arc with the body, and bringing sensitivity to the back body, a lesser-felt part of the self. Here it can be formed as the hands and the feet reach towards each other to link up and form the foundation to uphold the body with the back. Though not a purva-pratana-sthiti (back arch)—this is a bridge that holds within its many gifts the way to the back arches. Mr. Iyengar mentions that in this asana, “you seal the entire back portion of the body” which upholds the full extension of the anterior spine. (Astadala Yogamala Vol. 2, p. 188). Setu Bandha Sarvangasana is done at the end of a practice session when the body has gone through various positions, movements, and directions through the asanas; it completes the Salamba Sarvangasana cycle. It is at this juncture that the work of the body gives birth to the spread of the consciousness, as it spreads its reach within. Support: This alamba—support—can come from without and from within. “Patanjali speaks of the fluctuations of the mind, ego, intelligence and consciousness. All these change second to second. Hence, he wants us to follow a discipline with support, as the quietening of fluctuations depends on support. (see Yoga Sutra I.35)” (Astadala Yogamala Vol. 3, p. 235.) 27
