Baddha konasana (bound angle pose or cobbler’s pose) can help stretch hips and groins. It’s also sometimes referred to as butterfly pose.
- With your shoes off, sit on the floor bringing the soles of your feet together. You can experiment moving your feet towards or away from your groin to see how it changes the stretch depending on your flexibility.
- Sit up tall and slightly rock your pelvis forward. You should have a long spine – avoid rounding in the lower back. If it’s difficult to sit on the floor or to keep your spine long, sit on the edge of a folder blanket.
Rest your hands on your ankles or the floor. You can lightly press your elbows into your knees. This may stretch enough, but you can also fold forward if you have no lower back injuries – still try not to round the back.- You can also press your elbows into your knees, but resist with your knees, so that your knees don’t move. Do this for a few breaths, then relax and let the knees gently lower on their own. Repeat this 2 or 3 times.
- If it’s uncomfortable on your knees or hips, you can support your knees. I’m using two rolled up yoga mats, but you could roll up a towel, blanket or sleeping mat or just use a pillow.
- When you finish, take both legs out straight and give them a bit of a shake.
In general, if you find it hard to sit on the floor, try some of these suggestions from Yoga for Healthy Aging.
How to do cobbler’s pose or baddha konasana 101 (stretching the hips and groin)
