How to do Angle Pose (Konasana)

• Stand straight with feet about hip width distance apart and arms alongside the body.
• Breathe in and raise the left arm up so that the fingers point towards the ceiling.
• Breathe out and bend to the right, first from the spine, and then move your pelvis to the left and bend a
  little more. Keep your left arm pointing up.

• Turn your head to look up at the left palm. Straighten
  the elbows.
• Breathing in, straighten your body back up.
• Breathing out, bring the left arm down.
• Repeat with the right arm.

Benefits of Angle Pose (Konasana)

• It helps stretch the sides of the body and the spine.
• Helps in toning of arms,legs,and abdominal organs.
• Helpful in relieving back pain.
• Increases the flexibility of the spine.

• Helps those who are suffering from constipation.
• Helpful for people suffering from sciatica.

This asana is named after the Sanskrit words baddha meaning bound, kona meaning angle or split, and asana meaning posture. Most often, you will find cobblers sitting in this position as they go about their daily chores. So another name for Buddha Konasana is the Cobbler Pose. It is also called the Butterfly Pose as the open hips joined by the feet and the up and down movements resemble the stance of a butterfly in motion. While it is extremely simple, it has a whole lot of benefits to its credit.

Bound Angle Pose: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step by Step

Step 1

Sit with your legs straight out in front of you, raising your pelvis on a blanket if your hips or groins are tight. Exhale, bend your knees, pull your heels toward your pelvis, then drop your knees out to the sides and press the soles of your feet together.

Step 2

Bring your heels as close to your pelvis as you comfortably can. With the first and second finger and thumb, grasp the big toe of each foot. Always keep the outer edges of the feet firmly on the floor. If it isn’t possible to hold the toes, clasp each hand around the same-side ankle or shin.

Step 3

Sit so that the pubis in front and the tailbone in back are equidistant from the floor. The perineum then will be approximately parallel to the floor and the pelvis in a neutral position. Firm the sacrum and shoulder blades against the back and lengthen the front torso through the top of the sternum.

Step 4

Never force your knees down. Instead release the heads of the thigh bones toward the floor. When this action leads, the knees follow.

A Hatha Yoga posture, Buddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose) is a wonderful grounding position that leads to the creation of a serene place for delving into a meditation state that involves deep, relaxed breaths coordinated with the leg movements. This asana guides the path towards internal reflection when practiced at the end of a spiritual yoga practice.

Start the day on a fabulous note with Buddha Konasana. Give a nice stretch to the spine after a long night sleep. Here are the steps that practitioners can follow for performing the pose:

1. Start the pose by sitting on the floor. Legs, back straight, and hands on the ground.

2. With an exhalation, bend the knees and bring the heels close to the pelvic region.

3. Drop the knees out to the floor and touch the soles of the feet together.

4. Clasp the hands around the ankles, shins, or toes.

5. Stay in this pose for around 3-5 minutes.

Contradictions:

Sciatica can be aggravated in this pose.

Be kind to your knees during the performance of this pose.

Practice the butterfly pose as a resting posture, include it in your favorite yoga sequence, or begin the practice with it as a grounding pose — whichever way you use, it works miraculously! Here are the health benefits of Butterfly pose

Physical Benefits

Buddha Konasana (BAH-dah kph-NAH-duh-nu) opens up the groin area and hip joint. It also helps relieve urinary disorders, sciatica pain and hernia, regulates menstrual flow and keeps the kidneys, bladder and prostate healthy. This is an excellent pose for pregnant women in preparation for childbirth.

The variation with a forward bend tones the abdominal organs, therefore improving digestion.

Energetic Benefits

The hips are where we store our emotional issues. Therefore, Buddha Konasana being a hip opener helps us to release our pent-up emotions. In turn, this asana gives a feeling of lightness in our energetic bodies and it is a good pose to promote seated meditation.

Contraindications

Keep the soles of the feet facing upwards while bending forwards to keep the groins soft; this prevents the groins from getting cramped and it is easier on the knees. If there are any acute knee conditions like a torn meniscus or ACL (anterior collateral ligament of the knee) injury, one should avoid this pose. If the knees are higher than the hips sit on a block or a blanket to allow the thighs and knees to go down towards the floor. This will promote an open hip

Benefits of Buddha konasana (Butterfly Pose)

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Many of us are in search of an answer to the question, “What is the key to longevity?” Well, there are different answers projecting a variety of perspectives. But, the most compelling solution to this question is to avoid worries and stress.

Most of us live in a constant state of stress with our system overworking — all of which leads to blocked energies and an overload of toxins in the body. Over time, we become physically, mentally, and emotionally stagnated that enables our system to slow down. A question that arises is, “What is the effective method of controlling this increase in stress level?”

The answer to this question lies in the discipline of Yoga. Yoga is great for eliminating stress from the containers within the body, for building self-awareness, and for teaching us proactive methods of responding to the stress.

One positive way to control the stress and negatives of life is to delve into the practice of Buddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose), a fabulous practice to adopt for easing the tension in the neck, stretching the spine, and to enter into a mind-body restorative state. Whether practicing the modified butterfly pose or using it as a resting yoga posture, the Buddha Konasana benefits us in various forms.

Here is a guide to the steps and health benefits of butterfly pose:

• Sit in Staff Pose (Dandasana).
• Exhale, fold the knees and rest the heels close to your pelvic bone.
• The soles of the feet should be pressed together.
• Grasp the toes of the feet with your hands.
• Lengthen the torso through the top of the sternum region.
• Stay in this pose for 60 seconds.

Modifications of the Butterfly Pose:

1. If it is difficult to hold the toes of the feet, clasp the hands around the ankles and shins.

2. Sit on a blanket if you have tight groins.

3. Practitioners can practice more baddha konasana variations: the forward fold and diamond leg pose.

Learn the Benefits of Buddha Konasana:

1. Relief from Headaches: Most of the headaches are stress-induced and butterfly pose strives for releasing the tension of the neck and head. Resting the forehead on the ground provides a relaxing feeling. Also, with attention to breath in the butterfly pose is a great way to release anxiety and achieve stillness. Everything contributes to fewer headaches.

2. Stretches Lower Back: A good pose for the people with lower back issues. The pose stretches the lower back without involving the hamstrings. Therefore, individuals with tight hamstrings can easily practice this pose without any worry. The placement of the heels close to the groin allows for less hamstring stretch and a greater lengthening of the lower back.

3. Good For Groins: The Buddha Konasana is a lovely pose for the health of the groins. The alignment of the legs in the pose places good stress on the groins that are healthy for the muscles, joints, and fascia of the groins. The prolonged holding of this yoga posture with controlled breathing acts a resting posture and fosters strong connective tissues. Modify the pose with yoga props for extra care and support and reap the health benefits of butterfly pose including robust groins.

4. Shoulder Stress Release: The simple practice of Baddha Konasana is a beginning step towards releasing tension stored in shoulders naturally. Stressed shoulders adversely affect the upper body region leaving the person in desperate need of some respite. It is beneficial to practice the heart-opener butterfly yoga pose at the end of the tiring day. Experiment with arm placement in this yoga asana and find exciting ways of releasing and softening the shoulders.

5. Beneficial for Reproductive organs: In keeping the reproductive system healthy, the baddha konasana practice is important on a regular basis. The butterfly pose stimulates the functioning of the ovaries and increases blood circulation to the reproductive system reducing the risk of infertility by enhancing the working of the overall reproductive system.