Yoga Posture of The Month – July – Baddha Konasana – Bound Angle Pose

July 13th, 2017

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Baddha Konasana – Bound Angle Pose

Great for releasing lower back tension and for easing sciatica, this seated pose is one you can return to again and again and see yourself slowly progressing!

Benefits

• Improves flexibility in the lower back
• Improves flexibility in the hips
• Gently stretches the insides of the thighs, which helps in many other Yoga poses
• Takes time to develop the full version of the posture, so be patient!

How to do it

• Sit on the floor
• Ensure that your back is upright – you may find it helpful to lean against a wall
• Stretch your legs straight out in front of you
• You can place a blanket or yoga block under the back of your pelvis to help raise your hips a little – this will help if your hips or groin area are tight
• Breathe out, bend your knees, drop your knees outwards and pull your heels toward your pelvis
• Grasp your ankles with your hands and encourage the soles of your feet to come together
• Continue to relax your knees out to the sides so that they begin to drop towards the floor
• Keep pressing the soles of your feet together, maintaining your hold on your ankles
• Lengthen your breath out and try to allow the muscles on the insides of the legs to release and relax

Things to watch

• Keep your back as upright as you can
• Keep your shoulders relaxed
• Move gently and smoothly
• Focus on your breathing, extending the breath out as you remain in the posture
• Think about pressing the outside edges of your feet together as this encourages the sense of opening out the hips and extending the thighs
• Ease of the posture gently when you have finished
• Repeat 2 or 3 times

Link to more information: https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/bound-angle-pose

Izzy Ixer

British Wheel of Yoga Dip Yoga Tutor and Coach

You can find out more about Izzy here and about yoga at the Centre here

Twitter @IzzyIxer or @IzzyYoga

 

 

 

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