 (SOUP-tah
BAH-dah cone-NAHS-anna) supta = lying down, reclining
baddha = bound kona = angle
Step by Step
Perform Baddha Konasana. Exhale and lower your back
torso toward the floor, first leaning on your hands.
Once you are leaning back on your forearms, use your
hands to spread the back of your pelvis and release
your lower back and upper buttocks through your tailbone.
Bring your torso all the way to the floor, supporting
your head and neck on a blanket roll or bolster if
needed.
With your hands grip your topmost thighs and rotate
your inner thighs externally, pressing your outer
thighs away from the sides of your torso. Next slide
your hands along your outer thighs from the hips toward
the knees and widen your outer knees away from your
hips. Then slide your hands down along your inner
thighs, from the knees to the groins. Imagine that
your inner groins are sinking into your pelvis. Push
your hip points together, so that while the back pelvis
widens, the front pelvis narrows. Lay your arms on
the floor, angled at about 45 degrees from the sides
of your torso, palms up.
The natural tendency in this pose is to push the
knees toward the floor in the belief that this will
increase the stretch of the inner thighs and groins.
But especially if your groins are tight, pushing the
knees down will have just the opposite of the intended
effect: The groins will harden, as will your belly
and lower back. Instead, imagine that your knees are
floating up toward the ceiling and continue settling
your groins deep into your pelvis. As your groins
drop toward the floor, so will your knees.
To start, stay in this pose for one minute. Gradually
extend your stay anywhere from five to 10 minutes.
To come out, use your hands to press your thighs together,
then roll over onto one side and push yourself away
from the floor, head trailing the torso.
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