Baddha Konasana Yoga (Butterfly Pose) | Yoga Sequences, Benefits, Variations, and Sanskrit Pronunciation | Tummee.com (2025)

Following are the benefits of Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose):

1. Stretches, Strengthens, Lengthens: Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) stretches the groin, adductors (inner thighs), and knees. It strengthens the pelvic floor and psoas muscles as well as the hip flexors. As the hip flexor muscles loosen up, one can lengthen and decompress the spine as well.
2. Flexibility and Range of Motion: Baddha Konasana allows the practitioner to access the pelvic floor muscles and strengthen them. Regular practice of this pose helps release all stiffness and tightness from the pelvic floor and hips and helps with hip opening. Due to this the flexibility of the pelvic joints increases and helps students to follow intense hip opening practices like Seated Straddle Pose or Goddess Pose.
3. Chest, Diaphragm, and Breath: Due to the lengthened spine and the support of the palms on the feet, there is a moderate chest opening. The spine is elongated, hence, the torso is lengthened which opens up the chest. This is effective in increasing lung capacity. Also, while staying in this pose the practitioner focuses on the breath, and with every exhale the groin stretch increases. That's why by regular practice the advanced yogi is also able to release the baddha support and spread his fingers like lotus petals.
4. Awareness and Focus (Concentration): Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) is a meditative pose. The yoga teacher should guide the students to breath awareness in this pose. It's not only the physical alignment but when the practitioner patiently focuses on the breath, they can feel it with every exhale, the groin stretching a little further and the hip opening a little more. Such poses enhance focus and concentration in a person.
5. Alignment and Posture: Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) is a good combination of a lengthened spine with the hip opening results in overall flexibility and increases agility in a person. Hence, this spinal toning and alignment enhances body posture.
6. Energizing, De-stressing, Relaxing: Baddha Konasana increases the blood circulation in the pelvic floor. This activates one’s parasympathetic nervous system (also called the ‘Rest and Digest’ system), as the sacrum houses 3 parasympathetic nerves. When this happens, the heart rate slows down which helps one conserve energy and hence it helps energize the body. It increases the efficiency of the intestines and relaxes the sphincter muscles. This leads to a relaxing and stabilizing effect on the mind as well as the body.
7. Stimulation and Organs / Circulation and Systems: Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) works on the kidney meridian (meridians are energy channels as per Chinese Medicine), which affects the glands residing on the kidneys. These help with the secretion of hormones that govern the metabolism, excretion, immunity, etc. The everyday fast-paced life in today’s world leads to overactive adrenal glands, which largely affect the kidneys. Baddha Konasana helps relax the same and helps resume the normal activity of these glands. As the posture of Baddha Konasana works closely with the pelvic floor, increased blood circulation helps with better efficiency and stimulation of the organs residing there. It helps activate and balance the hormones and strengthens the uterus, which helps in reducing menstrual problems. It stimulates the ovaries, prostate gland, and the bladder. Ailments related to infertility and sexual arousal can be addressed by this practice.
8. Therapeutic, Healing, and Ailments: Yoga teachers can use this in therapy related to hormonal imbalances. Since lower back stiffness and pain are associated with tightness in the hips, regular practice of this asana can provide relief from lower back pain. Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) also helps one access the thoracolumbar fascia, which is correlated to piriformis syndrome and sciatica which causes extreme pain in the lower back region of buttocks, hips, hamstrings and feet.
9. Balance and Emotions: Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) helps in balancing emotions in a person. This pose addresses the base of the spine and activates the Muladhara Chakra, Swadisthana Chakra, and Manipura Chakra which are connected to the balancing of the basic nature of stability, creativity, and emotional connect of a person.
10. Others: Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) can be done by teens and kids as they might have hormonal imbalances and this pose will help rectify this. Also, due to its various benefits of relaxation, hip-opening, strengthening the pelvic floor, and balancing one’s hormones, Baddha Konasana is an excellent asana to be practiced by pregant women in their second and third trimester. Being included in the prenatal yoga plan, will not only make the pregnancy easier but also help with natural childbirth. This pose is good for delivered mothers after the initial period of 40 days of healing.

Following are the contraindications of Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose):

1. Injury and Surgery / Ailment and Physical Strength: In the case of a groin injury, one must strictly not practice Baddha Konasana. It could further aggravate the injury. In case of any type of injury in the knee - a tear of the ligament, worn down joints (where the lubrication between the joints has worn out), or rheumatoid arthritis, Baddha Konasana must be avoided. Also, students who have undergone knee, ankle, or hip surgery should avoid this pose. People with stiffness in the hips and pelvis should be initiated in this pose by the yoga teachers gradually. In case of any of the above reasons, yoga teachers should adopt a regular practice of Shakti Bandha Asana Yoga Sequence. To counteract this discomfort, a cushion or blanket can be placed underneath the hips and ankles or bolsters can be placed underneath the knees.
2. Others: Yoga teachers should take the practice slow with senior citizens as their knees and ankles are weak and they even find it difficult to sit on the floor. Pregnant women should avoid this till the prenatal yoga second trimester. The reason is, the hip opening is not advisable till then. The womb is strengthened in the initial first trimester and this kind of opening may lead to miscarriages.
3. Lack of Body-Breath Connections: Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) is a meditative pose. Breath awareness is a must in this pose. The practitioner focuses on the hip opening and the groin stretch with relaxed breath. With every exhale they practise to slowly increase the opening. Hence students who lack breath awareness may jerk their stretch and may not be able to gauge the sustainable stretch. This can lead to groin and hip damage. Yoga teachers should not encourage this practice for such people.
4. Trauma and Anxiety / Therapy and Restorative: Yoga teachers can treat mild depression and anxiety with this pose as it works on calming the nervous system. But they have to go slow with people who have undergone trauma. There may be a flush of negative energies with the hip opening which is difficult for them to handle. Yoga teachers need to be diligent when they can use this pose. Though this pose can be used for therapy for kidneys, knees, and reproductive ailments, yoga teachers need to rule out any major kidney problems, osteoporosis, weak knee joints, degenerated spine, and rheumatoid arthritis.

• ‘A’ Variation: In this pose, the knees close fully, the feet come to touch, and the hands grasp the feet. Bring the heels as close to the hips as possible. Make sure that there is no pressure in pushing the knees to the floor or ground or even have anyone push it down for you, as this will be asking for injury of the knee. The idea here is to bring the feet close to the pelvis but don’t push yourself too hard. The hands work on turning the soles of the feet upwards giving room for activating the hip muscles which will help in bringing the knees to the floor. Holding the feet pulls your heart upright making the entire spine and back straight.
• ‘B’ Variation: Following from the ‘A’ variation, maintain the body straight. Space the feet about 4-6 inches from the pelvis, allowing the knees to come off the floor. If the feet are too close to the pelvis, the sitting bones will lift off the ground when you take the torso forward. Fold forward as much as the body allows making sure it is not done aggressively. The idea here is to first work on bringing the heart close to the feet as per your body flexibility and then gradually going forward reaching for the floor with the head and then the chin. Making aggressive movements of the spine and the knees will work to your disadvantage and hence the alignment of the spine and the hips should be kept in mind more than the pushing of the body forward.
• ‘C’ Variation: From the ‘B’ variation, sit upright, rock the pelvis into a posterior tilt, round the back deeply, and tug on the feet: fold the forehead towards or to touch the toes. The movement of the upper body trying to bring the forehead close to the soles of the feet should be done with caution as there would be pressure at the ribs which can bring cramps.
• Supta Bhadrasana: Here lying on your back stretch the legs out and relax the entire body. Inhale and bring the feet together in Namaste pressing the knees downwards towards the floor. This pose is Baddha Konasana, but while lying down. This yoga pose is a great way to stretch out the hips, and inner thigh muscles and open the chest. In this yoga pose make sure the shoulders and the lower back are close to the floor and work on bringing the outer knees close to the floor with every exhalation.

Given below are the step-by-step instructions to follow for the practice of Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose):

1. Start by sitting in Dandasana. Sit firmly with your sit bones on the mat. Now bend your knees and join the soles of your feet.
2. Now hold your feet or ankles with the palms. Move your heels to the groin as much as you can.
3. Exhale and let your knees slowly towards the ground. This has to be sustainable and the movement should be gravitational and not forced.
4. The arms should be relaxed, Be aware not to crunch your shoulders. But roll back the shoulders away from the ears. Consciously elongate your torso, thus lengthening the spine. Keep the crown of the head steady by tucking the chin to the neck.
5. Imagine your legs are like the wings of a butterfly. Start flapping it by bringing the knees up and down. This creates blood circulation and warmth for the groin and inner thigh muscles to stretch.
6. Now slowly stop the movement and stay in the pose. Feel the thighs and knees going lower to the mat. Keep breathing and with every exhale try to lower the knee a little further. Stay in the pose as per your capacity.
7. Once you achieve the pose, slowly Inhale, and replace your hold on your feet by placing your hands at the inner arches. Place your thumb on the inner arch and four fingers around the foot. Proceed to open the soles of your feet like a book. This will help you open the hips further as your knees drop closer to the floor. It also helps protect the knee joints from taking too much strain.
8. Refer to Bound Angle Pose Legs Close Up to get a better understanding of this position of the feet.
9. When you’re ready to release the position, slowly let go of your feet. One by one, straighten the legs out. Here, you can choose to do certain movements of the ankles and toes like Seated Ankle Rotations and Toes Bending to release the numbness in feet.
10. Now straighten your legs and come back to Dandasana.

Note: Students who have stiffness in the hips should be encouraged by yoga teachers to sit near the wall for spine support. Also, they can place a towel, blanket, or yoga blocks under their knees for support. Over regular practice, they will find their flexibility increased. The following suggestions can be considered to avoid injury and discomfort:

• Cushion or blanket can be placed underneath the hips and ankles.
• Bolsters can be placed underneath the knees.

Learn more: Butterfly Pose Steps

This yoga pose can be done with certain modifications to get the full benefit of the pose. They are:

• Using blankets below the buttocks is useful to give the spine the extra height to support the hip.
• Placing yoga blocks below the knees to help get the right kind of stretch in the inner thighs.
• If holding the toes is difficult then one can hold the ankles or the shins instead.
• If the back is not strong enough, use the wall for support and place the back against the wall.

Baddha Konasana is a beginner-level, base, and meditative pose. It is a seated position. It is referred to as a Butterfly because, in addition to staying static in this pose, you could also move the hips up and down, which resembles a butterfly flapping its wings. Since this practice is a hip opener, given below are some of the poses that can be considered as preparatory poses:

• Cradle Pose Straight Leg: to open the hips, gluteus, and deeper hamstrings.
• Windshield Wiper Pose Chest Opener Variation: to go dynamic with the hips, working with both movements - external and internal rotation.
• Easy Pose Variation Arms Knees (Sukhasana Variation Arms Knees): This pose helps the student to enhance the flexibility of knees and lower body. It helps the student sit comfortably in a folded leg position.
• Half Butterfly Pose (Ardha Titali Asana): This pose opens the inner thighs one at a time and prepares the groins for the deep stretch.
• Bound Angle Pose Torso Circles: to open the lower back and learning to ground the sit bones while rotating the hips.
• Seated Butterfly Pose (Upavistha Titli Asana): The dynamic flapping of the thighs like a butterfly wing enhances blood supply to the inner thighs. It gradually warms up the groins to stretch by relieving muscular stiffness.

Following are the detailed steps of breath awareness for Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose):

• Inhale and Exhale: Align to Dandasana.
• Inhale: Hold your feet or ankles with the palms. Move your heels to the groin as per your capacity.
• Exhale: Lower the knees towards the floor gradually.
• Inhale: Bring the ankles towards your groin.
• Exhale: Gently move the hips down, taking the knees towards the floor (with caution).
• Inhaling and Exhaling: Keep at this stretch of the inner things as you coordinate with the breath for about 6-8 breaths.
• Inhale: Loosen the hips and remove the hands from the feet.
• Exhale: Lengthen the legs and come to sit back in Dandasana.

Please click on the link below to listen to Sanskrit pronunciation of Baddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose):
Play Sanskrit audio pronunciation for Baddha Konasana