Yoga Practice - Badhakonasana

Badhakonasana is popularly known as the Butterfly Pose and sometimes also as the Cobbler Pose. The yoga pose works wonders for the lower body, especially the thighs, knees, and groin. The easy-to-do, yet highly effective yoga posture calms your body, opens your hips and stretches your lower muscles. While it is extremely simple, the butterfly pose has a whole lot of benefits to its credit. 

How To Do The Badhakonasana?

1.  With a firm and straight spine, sit down on your Yoga Mat.

2. Adjoin the soles of both your feet by bending your knees and also bring them closer towards the pelvis.

3. Hold both your feet tightly with your hands. Also, you may place your hands below the feet for support.

4. Doing so, make a gentle effort to bring the heels a little closer to the genitals.

5.  Now, take a deep breath in. Slowly, breathing out and press the thighs and knees down towards the floor.

6. Continue with the gentle effort to keep pressing them downwards.

7. Breathing normally, start flapping both the legs up and down like the wings of a butterfly. Keep breathing normally throughout the process.

8. Start slow and gradually increase speed. Fly higher and higher, as fast as you comfortably can.

9. Gradually, slow down and then stop. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, bend forward, keeping the chin up and spine erect.

10.Press your elbows on the thighs or on the knees, pushing the knees and thighs closer to the floor.

11.Feel the stretch in the inner thighs and take long, deep breaths, be aware and relax the muscles more and more.

12. Take a deep breath in and bring the torso up.

13.As you exhale, gently release the posture. Then, slowly straighten the legs out in front of you and relax.

Benefits of Badhakonasana

1) A good stretch for the inner thighs, groins and knees, improving flexibility in the groin and hip region.

2) Helps in intestine and bowel movement.

3) Removes fatigue from long hours of standing and walking.

4) Offers relief from menstrual discomfort and menopause symptoms.

5) Helps in smooth delivery if practiced regularly until late pregnancy.

Contraindications of the Butterfly Pose 

If you are suffering from groin or knee injury, make sure you keep a blanket under the outer thighs for support. Do not perform this pose without blanket support. Also, sciatica patients should either completely avoid the pose or sit on a cushion to raise the hips. If you have any lower-back disorders, do the posture only while keeping the spine erect. Avoid rounding up the spine by bending forward.