Bridge pose is magical for tension in the upper back and shoulders, which is usually where I carry my stress. It’s known more as a backward bend, but it is also an inversion! I’ve seen this pose at different stages of a yoga class: the beginning, middle, and end, so it can be part of a warm up, a chest and hip-opener, or a restorative cooling down pose. It is a versatile pose and can also serve to prep for more intense inversions such as shoulderstand and plow pose.
My main tip for this pose? Relax the face and the butt! Sounds funny, but try the pose and chances are that you are tensing one or both of these areas.
By the way, my knees are supposed to be above my ankles here. That just goes to show you that sometimes teachers are not always perfectly aligned.