How to Do the Bridge Pose for Back Pain Relief & Core Strength

The bridge pose stretch is a simple exercise that’s also a game changer for back pain relief. Below I’ll walk you through each step of how to do the bridge pose correctly to help you rebalance your muscles, improve spinal alignment, and build strength in your back and throughout your body.

Step 1: Position Yourself

Lay flat on your back, feet flat on the floor and your knees bent (adjust so they’re bent as much as is comfortable). For a general reference, I have my heels about six inches away from my glutes. Relax into this position and notice where your body is contacting the ground, called your support zones. For most people, you will feel the most pressure around your pelvis and upper back.

Step 2: Shift Your Support Zone

Because there is a lot of pressure on your pelvis and upper back, instead shift to your back anchor zone, the area at the bottom of your ribcage between the pelvis and upper back. To make the shift, engage your ab muscles and gently bring the bottom of your rib cage down to the floor. Then, increase the amount of abdominal engagement. 

Picture yourself trying to push the floor away from your support point. You should feel your back anchor zone make firmer contact with the floor as your pelvis begins to feel lighter. This intention is subtle but the importance cannot be understated—it sets the foundation for the entire exercise.

Step 3: Engage Your Core to Lift

Next you must use your deep core muscles (not your glutes yet) to pull your pubic bone towards your head, partially lifting the pelvis. This creates a posterior pelvic tilt which lengthens your spine and puts less pressure and compression on your lower back. You’ll notice that your lower ribs may feel flatter against your body if they were sticking out before, which is a sign your core is engaged properly.

Take your time here. Once you’re comfortable and breathing—maintaining the intention to send the breath down and back to your lower back region, it’s time to bring in the glutes.

Step 4: Full Bridge with Glute Activation

Once you’re comfortable and breathing through this position, you can start to activate your glutes and lift into a full bridge pose. Make sure that your ribcage stays down and doesn’t flare up so that your core stays engaged and prevents strain on your lower back. 

Once in the bridge pose, your hip flexors will try to pull your pelvis forward into an anterior tilt, but don’t worry, your glutes and ab muscles are there to prevent this. Think of it as a tug-of-war, and your job is to keep the pelvis in a posterior tilt. Remember, this helps to create space through the spinal column, opening up the areas that experience compression forces in an anterior pelvic tilt position.

Step 5: Fine-Tuning for Maximum Effect

To get the most out of this exercise, you can bring your feet a little closer to your body; the closer your heels are to your glutes the more your knees bend, placing more emphasis on the glutes and deepening the stretch in your hip flexors.

And here’s where the magic of active stretching comes in: by actively using your glutes to hold your pelvis in place, you’re not just stretching the hip flexors—you’re reinforcing that stretch with strength.

Step 6: Breathing and Stability

At the top of the bridge pose, focus on stability. Breathe deeply into your core to stabilize your spine and maintain your pelvic position.

You can hold the bridge for a deeper stretch in your hip flexors and better glute activation which is great for improving posture and muscle balance. Or, if you prefer, you can perform repetitions by lifting and lowering in a controlled motion, which builds strength and endurance over time. Both approaches work—choose what feels best for your body!

Why Active Stretching Outshines Passive Stretching

Let’s talk about the difference between active stretching and passive stretching. With passive stretching, like pulling your ankle toward your glutes, you’re lengthening the muscle, but you’re not strengthening the opposing muscles to hold it in that position. The result? The muscle often returns to its original length.

Active stretching, on the other hand, strengthens the opposing muscle group (in this case, your glutes and abdominals) while lengthening the targeted muscle (hip flexors). This creates longer-lasting changes in flexibility and function, helping your body learn to stabilize itself better over time.

Bottom Line: The Bridge Pose Combines Stretching and Strengthening

The bridge pose is much more than a simple exercise—it’s a tool for addressing the root cause of back pain. By shifting the support zone, engaging your core, and activating your glutes, you’re retraining your body to align and stabilize itself naturally.

The bridge pose is just one of the many concepts we cover in our program to address the root cause of chronic lower back pain. If you’re curious to learn more ways to retrain your body for lasting relief, we’d love for you to join us in our free 7-day trial.

This isn’t just about temporary relief, it’s about creating lasting change in how your body moves and functions. So take your time, follow these steps, and give the bridge pose a try. Notice any changes in your back pain or posture? Drop a comment below. I’d love to hear how it works for you!