Bound Angle Pose

 

Bound Angle Pose

How to Do Bound Angle Pose in Yoga

Bound Angle Pose is a well-known seated yoga posture that opens the hips and groins. It is also sometimes called “Cobbler’s Pose,” after the way cobblers in India sit on the ground to work on footwear. The Sanskrit name for this pose — “Baddha Konasana (BAH-duh cone-AHS-uh-nuh)” — comes from three words:

• “Baddha” — meaning “bound”
• “Kona” — meaning “angle”
• “Asana” — meaning “pose”

Instructions

1. Begin seated in Staff Pose (Dandasana) with your spine straight and your legs extended in front of you on the mat. Rest your arms at your sides with your palms on the mat.
2. Bend your knees and draw your heels in toward your pelvis. Press the soles of your feet together and let your knees drop open to both sides. It’s important to allow your knees to drop open only as far as they will go — never press on your knees in this pose!
3. Clasp your big toes with your first two fingers. Press the outer edges of your feet firmly together, and also press them firmly into the floor.
4. Sit up straight. Extend through the length of your entire spine through the crown of your head.
5. Gaze softly straight ahead, or at the tip of your nose.
6. Hold the pose for up to five minutes. To release the pose, first release the clasp from your toes. Then, gently lift your knees and extend your legs once again along the floor in Staff Pose (Dandasana).

Tips

Practicing Bound Angle Pose can be a great way to counteract poor posture and tight hips after a long day of sitting or traveling. Keep the following information in mind when practicing this pose:

• Never press on your knees in this pose! Doing so can cause injury to your groin and knees. Instead, let the heads of your thigh bones (the part of the bone that connects in the hip socket) release toward the floor.
• Avoid jerking, pulling, pushing, or forcing any movement in this pose. Let your movements be slow and smooth.
• Do not “flutter” your knees like a butterfly.
• Keep your pelvis in a neutral position, balancing equally on both sit bones. To find this neutral position, rock forward and back and shift your hips side to side when you are in the pose. When you are neutral, your pubic bone and tailbone should both be the same distance from the floor, and both sit bones should have an even distribution of weight.
• If you are folding forward, imagine that you are drawing your chest toward your toes, instead of your forehead to your heels. The aim of the forward fold is to keep the front of the torso and the spine long — not rounded.

Cautions

Avoid practicing this pose if you have a groin or knee injury. If your hips are very tight, it might be difficult to open your thighs and/or to press your feet together. Never force the pose. Instead, practice a modified version until your flexibility increases (see Modifications & Variations, below). Always work within your own range of limits and abilities. If you have any medical concerns, talk with your doctor before practicing yoga.