Baddha Konasana ( बद्धकोणासन } is also known by different names – Bound Angle Pose, Cobbler Pose, Throne Pose and Butterfly Pose. This asanas helps to strengthen hamstrings, knees, groins and ankles and relieve stiffness from sore hips and back muscles. Here, we’ll talk about various such health benefits, steps and precautions for performing ‘Baddha Konasana’.
The Sanskrit name ‘Baddha Konasana‘ is derived from three words: ‘Baddha’ ( बद्ध ) means ‘bound’, ‘Kona‘ ( कोण ) stands for ‘angle’ or ‘split’ and ‘Asana‘ ( आसन ) means ‘posture or seat’. In this asana, the legs form an angle bound by the hands, thus it is known as ‘Bound Angle Pose‘. Some yoga practitioners often call this pose by its another name ‘Bhadrasana‘ ( भद्रासन ).
The bound angle pose is a wonderful grounding position that helps you to dive in deep state of relaxation. The coordinated breaths and legs movements during this pose would improve your postural and body awareness. Baddha Konasana is a part of Hatha yoga posture, that reduces compression in lower back, strengthens core and opens your hips and thigh muscles.
Apart from this, Baddha Konasana is a great hip opening exercise that helps the body to release pent-up negative emotions. This pose involves the rhythmic movements of knees that stimulates abdominal organs like kidneys, intestinal walls and lower body. It is one of best way to enhance the release of happy hormones that’s responsible for deep relaxation of mind.
How to practice Baddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose)
To get the maximum benefits, follow the below mentioned step-by-step guide to do Baddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose) :
Step 1
- Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you, keeping your torso, neck and head in a straight line.
Step 2
- Bring your back torso towards the floor, raise your pelvis on a blanket if your hips or groins are tight.
Step 3
- Exhale and pull your heels toward the pelvis by bending your knees. Press soles of your feet together.
Step 4
- Drop knees out to the floor and grab big toes of each foot with your thumbs, index & middle fingers.
Step 5
- Now, rotate your inner thighs outwards and press the outer thighs away from the sides of your torso.
Step 6
- Start moving your knees up and down rhythmically like the wings of a butterfly with closed your eyes.
Step 7
- Hold this Bound Angle Pose for 2-5 minutes, with practice one may extend its duration up to 10 mins.
Step 8
- To come out inhale deeply, lift knees away from the floor & extend legs back to the original position.
Modifications and Variations
Supta Baddha Konasana ( Supine Bound Angle Pose ) and Tarasana ( Star Pose ) are some variations of Baddha Konasana.
To deepen experience during Baddha Konasana, try these following modifications and find a variation that works for you:
1. If you feel strain in inner thighs and groins
- Support the thighs on a block or folded blanket this would give the maximum stretch of your groins.
- Keep feet slightly off the floor. You may use sandbag across inner groins, to sink them into the pelvis.
2. You can also involve your arms in this pose
- Breathe in & raise your arms toward the ceiling, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the floor.
- Keep your chest and spine erect and wrap both your hands around your ankles as you lean forward.
3. If you are unable to lower knees to the floor
- You can place blocks or blankets under your knees or place hands underneath the feet for support.
- Try to make an effort to bring both of your soles and heels just as close to your genitals as possible.
4. If you are unable to lift chest due to tired back
- Come forward from your hip joints, not the waist stretching, your inner thighs and opening your hips.
- Squeeze abdomen to reduce the tilt in your pelvis and you may support your back against the wall.
5. Perform the pose your toes braced against wall
- Lean the body slightly forward and release the heads of your thigh bones far away from the straps.
- Your partner can straddle your pelvis, retreat until his calves are pressing against your upper thighs.
Baddha Konasana Precautions Contraindications
- People with knee Injury, groin ailments, lower back or disc issues should avoid the practice of Baddha Konasana.
- Although its practice can relieve Sciatica yet it must be performed under the guidance of a certified yoga teacher.
- You should avoid forcing your knees down, you may rather release the heads of the thighbones toward the floor.
- Always practice the Bound angle pose as a resting posture and drop your knees to the floor slowly and steadily.
- Avoid rounding up your spine by bending forward, perform this pose with blanket support under the outer thighs.
- Keep the soles of the feet facing upwards as you bend forward. this would prevent groins from getting cramped.
Benefits of Baddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose)
Following are the health benefits of Baddha Konasana – Bound angle pose that you would attain gradually with regular practice :
This yogic exercise helps to improve digestion, blood flow, flexibility, self awareness, sub–consciousness and relieves body pain.
1. Baddha Konasana improves digestion
- It improves the blood flow towards the abdominal area that boosts your digestion, excretion & relieves constipation.
- Furthermore, it also encourages absorption of nutrients, soothes digestive complaints and eliminates body wastes.
2. Baddha Konasana stretches muscles
- The Butterfly Pose makes ligaments, fascia, and tendons healthier by pressing the connective tissues of the groins.
- Metaphysically, it stretches muscles of inner thighs, hips and groins and prepare them for meditative seated poses.
3. Baddha Konasana is relaxing posture
- The pose relieves headaches, emotional baggage and regulates blood flow that in turn lowers high blood pressure.
- It also activates parasympathetic nervous system that reduces fatigue, stress, anxiety, insomnia and mild depression.
4. Baddha Konasana improves reproductive health
- This pose relieves urinary disorders, hernia, regulates menstrual cramps & other associated discomfort or irregularity.
- It boosts blood flow towards the groin areas which improves the functioning of male & female reproductive system.
5. Baddha Konasana stimulates chakras
- Baddha Konasana is the powerful asana that assist opening of Muladhara (root) and Svadhisthana (sacral) chakras.
- It stimulates energy centers by releasing stagnant energy that are responsible for creativity, sensuality and pleasure.
6. Baddha Konasana is good for pregnant women
- The Bound angle pose is the excellent yoga asana for pregnant women that assists in the preparation for childbirth.
- It has soothing effects on the ovaries in women that may cure infertility and offers a healthier reproductive system.
7. Baddha Konasana stretches various muscles
- Its practice at end of the yoga or workout session help you to release tensions from neck and shoulders muscles.
- This pose also improves the strength and flexibility of lower back, knees, ankles, feet. lumbar region & hips joints.
8. Baddha Konasana relieves muscles pain
- Butterfly Pose is an effective remedy to reduce the muscle tension and to relieve lower back and sciatica pain.
- It helps to improve the natural body posture by flexing hip joints and reducing stiffness from knees and thighs.
Tips For Beginners
- Move your feet further away from your groin if you feel any pressure in your knees.
- If you’re not able to hold your toes, then clasp hand around the ankles, shins and toes.
- If you’re unable to stay upright, you may sit with the back against a wall for support.
- For some beginners this pose would be difficult to do, yet with practice you can scale it.
- If you’re very flexible, fold torso forward with spine straight & stretch your outer thighs.
- Lengthen front of your torso to the sternum as you draw your body down towards floor.
- Firm sacrum and shoulder blades against the back. Lengthen torso from top of sternum.
Preparatory Poses
- Supta Padangusthasana
- Virasana
- Tadasana
- Vrikshasana
Follow-up Poses
- Gomukhasana,
- Malasana,
- Dandasana,
- Padmasana.
- Bhujangasana
Conclusion
Baddha Konasana is one of the great yoga pose that helps to mastering advanced yoga poses by reducing tightness in groins, hip joints and hamstrings. This seated twists forward bends pose restores the optimal health.
We really hope that this article would be useful guide for your practice of Baddha Konasana. Here. we would like to invite you to please share your views and suggestions on this post in the comment section down below.
FAQs Related to Baddha Konasana and its related health benefits
Why Baddha Konasana is often called the Cobbler's Pose ?
Traditionally cobblers in India used to sit in this position to work because it help them to relieve pain in knees and thighs muscles. Plus, it also corrects the slumping posture by reducing stiffness and flexing hip joints.
Why Baddha Konasana is considered as the best prenatal exercise ?
Baddha Konasana is beneficial for both expectant mother and the unborn baby. This pose not only ensures safe delivery but also relieves menstrual discomfort and menopause related issues like hot flushes, incontinence etc.
Do Baddha Konasana really improve body's blood circulation ?
This pose improves the quality of circulation within the body – both blood and lymphatic that improves the functioning of all the internal organs and detoxification of the body, It improves the hip mobility, cures asthma, flat feet stimulates heart, bladder and prostate gland.
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