Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana)

Pronunciation and meaning

Baddha Konasana: BAH-duh koh-NAHS-uh-nuh. Baddha has two syllables with the stress on the first, and Konasana stresses the second.

Baddha means bound, kona means angle and asana means posture, so the classical name is bound angle posture. In English it is called Butterfly because the knees rise and fall like wings as people settle in.

How to do Butterfly Pose

1. Sit on the mat, or on the edge of a folded blanket, with your legs out in front of you.
2. Bend both knees and draw the soles of the feet together, letting the knees open out to the sides.
3. Choose your distance: heels close to the pelvis for a stronger stretch along the inner thighs, or a foot or so away for a softer shape.
4. Hold the ankles or shins rather than pulling on the toes, and lengthen up through the spine as you inhale.
5. If you want to fold, hinge forward from the hips on an exhale with a long front body, and stop where the inner thighs ask you to.
6. Stay for eight to ten breaths in an active version, or a few minutes in a Yin class, then press the knees together with your hands and stretch the legs out.

Make it easier

• Place a block or cushion under each knee so the legs can release without hanging.
• Sit on a folded blanket if your lower back rounds before you have even started to fold.
• Rest the forehead on a bolster or stacked blocks set on the feet for a supported forward fold.
• Lie back into Reclined Butterfly with a bolster along the spine if sitting upright is uncomfortable.

Pregnancy and after birth

Pregnancy. Adapt. Keep the spine upright or only lightly folded, use blocks under the knees, and move the feet further out so there is room for the belly. Keep the stretch mild. Check with your OB or midwife before you start.

After birth. Adapt. Once your doctor or midwife says you can exercise, begin with blocks under both knees and a short hold. If you are still sore from the birth, the reclined version with support may feel better than sitting upright.

For more on practising through pregnancy, see Joahnna Lee Yoga.

Common mistakes

• Bouncing the knees hard. A gentle flutter is fine, but forceful bouncing jars the inner groin.
• Pushing the knees toward the floor with the hands or elbows.
• Rounding from the upper back when you mean to fold from the hips in the active version.
• Pulling the heels in so close that the knees start to ache.

Butterfly Pose is a simple seated shape that appears in almost every style, from a warm-up in Vinyasa to a long, quiet hold in Yin. The difference lies less in the shape than in how much effort you bring to it.

In a slow, fully propped Yin yoga practice it becomes a long hold with cushions under the knees, which feels very different from the quick warm-up version. A pair of yoga blocks does the same job as cushions.

For a wider and stronger stretch of the same inner thighs, Frog Pose, on all fours with the knees apart is a natural Yin pairing.

For a stronger outer hip stretch, try Fire Log Pose, with the shins stacked.

Straighten one leg from Butterfly and fold over it, and you are in Head to Knee Pose, Janu Sirsasana.

Butterfly stretch for tight hips

Outside a yoga class, the same shape is often called the butterfly stretch, a staple of warm ups and stretching routines. It works the inner thighs and groin, which many people find tight after long hours of sitting, driving or running.

For a simple routine, sit tall on a folded blanket with the soles of the feet together and the heels a comfortable distance away. Breathe slowly for five breaths with the spine upright. Then hinge forward from the hips for five more breaths, stopping well before the knees or lower back complain. Finish by pressing the knees together with your hands and stretching the legs out.

If the hips are very tight, start with the feet further away and blocks under the knees, and lean back on your hands instead of folding. Small, gentle flutters of the knees are fine as a warm up, but avoid pushing them down. If you feel pain in the groin or the knees rather than a stretch, ease off, and see a doctor or physio if it does not settle. The hip flexor stretches work the front of the hips to round out the routine.

Which version of Butterfly suits you?

How long before the knees come lower?

Some people notice the inner thighs soften within a few weeks of sitting in Butterfly most days. Others find the knees stay at the same height for months, because the shape of the hip joint, not tightness, sets where they rest. Rather than watching the knees, notice whether you can sit upright for eight breaths without the lower back rounding, and whether the fold feels easier to enter.

A five-minute Butterfly sequence for the evening

After a long day in a chair or a long drive, this is a quiet way to open the hips before bed.

1. Upright Butterfly on a folded blanket, eight breaths.
2. Gentle flutter of the knees, ten small movements.
3. Active fold, hinging from the hips, six breaths.
4. Reclined Butterfly with a pillow under each knee, two minutes.
5. Hug the knees in and rock side to side, five breaths.

On a tile floor, sit on a folded towel or blanket so the sit bones are comfortable, and put the pillows within reach before you start so you do not have to get up mid-sequence.