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How To Do Reclined Bound Angle Pose

Yoga | Yoga Poses

Reclined Bound Angle Pose, also known as Reclined Butterfly or Supta Baddha Konasana, is one of my favourite ways to start a class. It’s gentle enough to ease into your practice after a long day, but just intense enough to start to bring awareness to your body and your breath.

Variations of this pose can be found in all types of yoga classes, from Yin, to Restorative, to Vinyasa Flow. Keep reading to learn how to incorporate this amazing pose into your practice!

Benefits Of Reclined Bound Angle Pose

This pose creates a passive, gentle stretch for the inner hips and groin, which can be left neglected in more vigorous, flowing practices. Due to the restorative nature of the pose, it can also help to relieve symptoms of stress, insomnia, mild depression, menstruation, or menopause.

Reclined Bound Angle Pose is also an excellent pose for pregnancy, as it helps to open up and energize the pelvic region.

Reclined Bound Angle Pose Step-By-Step

  1. Lie down comfortably on your back, with your legs extended and your arms at your sides, palms face up toward the ceiling.
  2. Bend your knees to bring the soles (bottoms) of your feet together to touch. The outer (pinky toe) edges of your feet should be resting on the mat. Let the legs fall open and allow gravity to support the weight of the legs.
  3. Check in with your body. If your hips and groin are feeling tight, you can take your feet further away from your body; alternately, if you’re feeling more open, you can bring your feet closer toward your body to deepen the stretch.
  4. Relax your shoulders away from your ears and allow your back body to sink more deeply into the mat. Stay in the pose anywhere from one to five minutes, depending on your level of comfort.
  5. To come out of the pose, take the palms of the hands on the outer thighs to gently fold the legs together, and bring the soles of the feet flat down on the mat. Then, hug your knees into your chest and gently rock from side to side to release the low back.

Tips

  • Take your arms as wide as you need—the more space you create between the arms and the body, the more you widen the shoulder blades and allow the back of the body to relax.
  • Blocks, blankets and bolsters are a wonderful way to support yourself in this pose. A bolster under the back, blocks or blankets under the outer knees or thighs, and/or a blanket beneath the head can feel divine and be deeply restorative.
  • Most of us have a tendency to be tight in the hips and groin from sitting at a desk all day. Rather than resisting the discomfort, inhale and send your breath and your patience even into the most inflexible parts of yourself—they need love too!
  • Letting go of tension in one area of the body can sometimes indirectly send tension elsewhere. As you remain in this pose, remember to keep the jaw relaxed, the breath steady, and the heart and mind open.

Image Credit / Yogi: Julia Lee

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