Bad Yogi Blog

Baddha Konasana pose is one of my favorites! It’s so amazing for releasing tight hips and pelvis, and feels great in the lumbar spine. I do this pose almost every day. Days that I want to hold space for longer, more of a Yin flare, I’ll take my heels farther away from my body, folding forward allowing my forehead to rest on a block.

There are so many expressions and modifications of this pose. If you find it difficult to lower your knees to the earth, try propping yourself up by sitting on a block or blanket. You can also try placing blocks or blankets under your knees. Just play around and see what works for your body. No matter what variation you choose, this pose is incredibly powerful for your body and your first two chakras (Muladhara and Svadisthana). Let’s take a look at the alignment in this pose. And then we’ll take a peek at the physical and energetic benefits of Bound Angle.

Alignment Do’s and Don’ts

• Come to a seated position with legs straight in front of you.
• Bend your knees, pulling your heels toward your pelvis, bringing the soles of your feet together allowing your knees to softly fall open.
• If your hips are tight and your knees uncomfortably float in the air, try using a block or blanket under each knee.
• You can also try sitting on a blanket or block.
• Inhale, as you exhale begin to bring your heels as close to your body as you comfortably can.
• Making sure that the outside edges of your feet are on the earth.
• Depending on your flexibility, your hands can either rest on your shins, ankles, tops of feet, or around toes.
• Be mindful that your spine is long, crown of your head lifts towards the sky.
• Pelvis finds a neutral position.
• Lengthen from your pelvis, through the spine, sternum, and crown of head.
• Hold this space for minimum of 3 breaths or as long as feels good.
• To deepen the lengthening in your groin and hips, maintain integrity of the spine keeping it long as you slowly fold forward. Pausing the moment you feel tightness or resistance and breathe into that space.
• Never force your knees down, heels toward the pelvis, or even folding forward. Never force anything. Use your breath, close your eyes, and allow yourself to be guided by your intuition when finding your expression of the pose.

Physical Benefits

• Soothes discomfort of a woman’s moon cycle
• Eases some symptoms of menopause
• Lengthens the groins and inner thighs
• Nourishes and stimulates the internal organs, increasing blood flow
• Overall, this pose helps to improve the quality of circulation within the body (both blood and lymphatic)

Energetic Benefits

Feeling a little hectic, flighty, or unstable? How do you feel emotionally? Do you have some experiences or emotions you’ve buried that are beginning to seep into other areas of your life? Baddha Konasana is a powerful pose for opening the root (Muladhara) and sacral (Svadhisthana) chakras. Baddha Konasana opens these energy centers releasing stagnant energy and increasing their vibration. To deepen this experience, visualize their colors red in Muladhara and orange in Svadhisthana.

• While holding Bound Angle for several minutes, close your eyes and begin meditating on their colors, visualizing their beautiful spiraling energy.
• If you want to kick up the intensity a notch, begin chanting the vibration that resonates in each chakra (Bija Mantra). Muladhara vibrates the sound LAM, and Svadhisthana vibrates the sound VAM. Repeat the chant as many times as you need.

As we move through our practice, we begin to tap into how each asana feels in our body. Settle in each pose long enough to become aware of any energetic, mental, or physical shifts. This is where the magic happens! Take your time and listen to your body.

Have you had a profound experience in a yoga pose? What’s your favorite part of Baddha Konasana? Share with us in the comments below!

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