Baddha Konasana (bah-dah koh-nah-sah-nah. Sanskrit: बद्धकोणासन , Bound Angle Pose, Clobber Pose (after the typical sitting position of Indian cobblers when they work).
The name comes from the Sanskrit words baddha (बद्ध, baddha) meaning “bound”, kona (कोण, koṇa) meaning “angle” or “split”,and Asana (आसन, Āsana) meaning “posture” or “seat”.
Having really tight hips, this asana helps open them. I may not have achieved the full pose yet, but eventually I’ll have my full body on the ground.
Getting into Baddha Konasana:
1)Sit in Dandasana
2)Raise your pelvis with a block or a blanket if your hips are tight.
3)Bend your knees together and pull the heels joining them together towards the pelvis
3)Bring the knees to the sides and press the soles of the feet together
4)Bring the heels close to the pelvis as much as possible
5)With your index and middle finger and thumb grab the big toes of each foot. Keep the outer edges of the feet firmly on the ground.
6)Lengthen through the front of the torso to the sternum as you pull your body and belly down towards the floor.
The aim of the posture is to get your knees on the floor and your head in front of your feet with your torso flat over your legs. There is no need for this to happen overnight; you will get benefits from every stage of this pose.
As you fold forward in this posture, lead with the heart until you reach the edge of your flexibility then let the back round and drop the head.
Never force your knees down. Instead release the heads of the thighbones toward the floor. When this action leads, the knees follow.
Stay in baddha konasana for 1 to 5 minutes or at least 20 breaths, breathing constantly in and through the nose and you gently release into the pose.
The Benefits of Baddha Konasana:
• Strengthens and improves flexibility in the inner thighs, groins and the knees
• Helps prepare the hips and groins for meditative seated poses, which require more flexibility in these areas
• Helps to sooth menstrual discomfort and digestive complaints
• Stimulates the abdominal organs, potentially improving the health of the ovaries, prostate gland, kidneys and bladder.
• Alleviates fatigue, mild depression
• Helps open up the lower back and relieves sciatica
• Eases Childbirth
Spirtual Benefits:
• Activates and connects the breath from the Muladahara
• Increased prana is brought to the neck and shoulder area
Precautions
• This asana should be avoided in case of Groin or knee injury. Protect the knee, ankle and groin injury using blankets as support.
• Be careful while bending if you suffer from high blood pressure or any cardiac problems.
• Avoided by ladies if menstruating or with uterus problems
Main Muscle and Joint Movement:
• Isometric Eccentric Contraction of Adductor Magnus
• Isometric Eccentric Contraction of Pectineus
• Flexion of the knees
• External rotation and adduction of the hips
• Supination of the feet/ankles
Keep calm, keep breathing and carry on stretching.
Samantha Lee
200hr Weekend YTT
