Originally posted in German on 12th July 2026
Setu Bandhasana (The Bridge) is a classic yoga position in which the legs, pelvis and spine work together in a harmonious unity. The position strengthens the back and chest area and at the same time symbolises the human ability to connect opposites and build bridges between the polarities of life.1)Both the introductory summary and the questions and answers at the end of the article were added for the online edition. The main text is by Heinz Grill.
The spiritual meaning of the bridge
The bridge is a fascinating phenomenon in world creation.2)‘World creation‘ refers to the whole of reality, which, according to this understanding, is composed of a physical, a soul and a spiritual dimension. The bridge therefore appears not only as a construction of the outer world but also as an expression of a spiritual principle of creation.
The Göltzschtal Bridge in Saxony reveals a brilliant masterpiece of human engineering. Thought, design and construction combine to create an architecture that blends harmoniously into the landscape and simultaneously elevates the view to a feeling of the heart, so that as a result of this object people can experience in their soul nothing other than a feeling of value for the work that has been achieved.
Drawing: Melissa Winter
Rudolf Steiner describes human kind, in a Christmas verse3)Rudolf Steiner: “Man is a bridge / Between the past / And the being of the future; / The present is a moment; / A moment as a bridge.” Christmas, 24th December 1920, in GA 40, No. 8 Truth-Wrought Verses and Proverbs., as a bridge between the past and the future and refers to the present moment as a bridge. In conscious, spiritual activity, the thought becomes reality: humans connect what has been with what is becoming and form the future out of the two.
The yoga exercise Setu Bandhāsana4)setu bandhāsana – from the Sanskrit: setu = bridge; bandha = connection, bond; āsana = position. (The Bridge) arises out of the coordination of the legs with the lower spine and an active yet sensitive lifting of the thoracic spine. If human beings use their spiritual abilities, they themselves become a bridge. They connect the polarities. They create that horizontal integrative and figurative form that connects strength, creation and symbol.
The etymology of the word ‘bridge’ in German ‘Brücke’ is interesting. The word is derived, among other things, from the Indo-Germanic ‘bhrū’ and actually does not refer to a classical, well-formed bridge, but rather to a beam that marks a primitive crossing. In contrast, the Latin root ‘pons’ for the Italian word for bridge, ‘il ponte’, is not only the pathway referred to today but also the sacred dimension of humanity, that makes possible a path and a cross over. The so-called Pontifices are officials who serve the sacred. They were meant to represent a bridge from the spirit to the world. Out of this sacred dimension finally the name bridge “il ponte” arose. The universal of the word therefore stems from a spiritual dimension.
In the meditation letters((The meditation letters are published weekly and contain the author’s suggestions and exercises for an object led meditation practice. They can be received free of charge via email.)), the bridge is currently the object of contemplation. The analogy between the external bridge and the bridge within human beings can blossom into beauty, in the sense of a human ideal.
Der Artikel beleuchtet folgende Fragen:
What does Setu Bandhāsana mean?
Setu Bandhāsana means ‘the bridge’ and characterises both a physical position as well as a spiritual symbol of connection.
What effect does the bridge have?
The exercise strengthens the legs and back. It requires a carefully coordinated distribution of tension in the middle of the back.
Why is the bridge seen as a spiritual symbol?
A bridge connects two separate realms. Similarly, human beings can overcome opposites and create connections through conscious spiritual activity.
Anmerkungen
| ⇑1 | Both the introductory summary and the questions and answers at the end of the article were added for the online edition. The main text is by Heinz Grill. |
|---|---|
| ⇑2 | ‘World creation‘ refers to the whole of reality, which, according to this understanding, is composed of a physical, a soul and a spiritual dimension. The bridge therefore appears not only as a construction of the outer world but also as an expression of a spiritual principle of creation. |
| ⇑3 | Rudolf Steiner: “Man is a bridge / Between the past / And the being of the future; / The present is a moment; / A moment as a bridge.” Christmas, 24th December 1920, in GA 40, No. 8 Truth-Wrought Verses and Proverbs. |
| ⇑4 | setu bandhāsana – from the Sanskrit: setu = bridge; bandha = connection, bond; āsana = position. |