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www.CSEcenter.org
baddha = bound
kona = angle
asana = pose
BENEFITS
• Stretches thighs, groin, hips, and lower back
• Helps digestive and elimination process
• Removes fatigue from long hours of standing and walking
• Offers relief from menstrual discomfort and menopause symptoms
To Practice Baddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose)
1. Sit with your feet together, letting your knees open to the sides. Ground your
sitting bones into the earth while you simultaneously lengthen through the
spine and torso.
2. Press your heels together to activate your legs, and open the balls of your feet
with your hands, like opening a book. This helps protect the knees.
3. Keep pressing your heels together as you extend your thighs horizontally to
the right and left, releasing your knees closer to the floor.
4. Moving from the base of your spine, lift through your core, engaging Mula
Bandha, or the root energy lock and muscles of the pelvic floor.
5. Keep your face relaxed. Inhale to find more length, and exhale to ground
down and maintain your connection to the earth.
6. If you want to go deeper, exhale to bend forward from your hips, maintaining
the extension in your spine.
7. Hold either variation for several deep breaths. If you are folded, inhale to
come up. Exhale to release the pose.
Rev. Sundari Jensen serves as a Senior Kriya Teacher at Center for Spiritual Enlightenment.
Note: Always use your best judgment about which practices are useful for your unique situ-
ation. Consult with your physician if needed. Study with a hatha yoga instructor for more
detailed practices.