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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.