Appears in
Pairs with
Pose · B
Bound Angle Pose
Baddha Koṇāsana
Seated with the soles of the feet together and the knees falling out to the sides. Bound Angle is the most accessible hip opener in the whole library and the one where the difference between a patient hold and a forced one is largest.
The shape, with joint angles
The angles are measured on the drawn skeleton and change with the variant you pick. Treat them as a starting reference, not a target to force.
Specification
| Sanskrit | Baddha Koṇāsana |
|---|---|
| Also called | Cobbler's pose, butterfly |
| Level | Beginner |
| Loads | Hips · Groins · Lower back · Knees |
| Props | Mat · Blanket · Block · Strap |
| Typical hold | 1 min |
| Gaze | |
| Published | 7 October 2026 · By The Asana Desk |
Getting in
- 01
Sit on a folded blanket with the legs extended and the pelvis level.
- 02
Bend the knees and bring the soles of the feet together, heels a comfortable distance from the body.
- 03
Let the knees fall out to the sides. Do not press them down with the hands.
- 04
Hold the feet or the ankles with the hands, or rest the hands on the thighs if the back is rounding.
- 05
Lengthen the spine and lift the chest; if the lower back rounds immediately, sit higher on the blanket.
- 06
Either stay upright and breathe, or fold forward from the hip crease with a long spine.
- 07
Hold for 60 seconds, letting the knees release on their own, then extend the legs and rest.
Working notes
Why the knees are never pressed down
| What you do | What happens |
|---|---|
| Sit on a folded blanket | The pelvis tips forward and the knees drop a little |
| Sit on a block | More of the same, for tighter hips |
| Press the knees down with the hands | Loads the inner knee — never do this |
| Fold forward with a rounded back | Moves the stretch to the lower back |
| Fold forward from the hip crease | Keeps the stretch in the hips, where it belongs |
The knees drop only as far as the hips allow, and the hips release slowly — often over months. Pushing the knees down with the hands loads the inner knee and the groin at exactly the moment the muscles are trying to lengthen, and it is one of the most reliable ways to irritate a knee in a seated pose.
Gravity is doing the work. The instruction is to stop holding the legs up, not to push them down. If the knees are high, sit on a higher support, which tips the pelvis forward and lets the thigh bones drop.
The two versions, and which one to hold
Upright is the version to hold for time. It keeps the pelvis neutral, the spine long and the breath easy, and it is where most of the long-term change in the hips happens over weeks rather than seconds.
The forward fold is the version to visit briefly. It is more intense and more satisfying, and it also tips the pelvis back, which is why it belongs at the end of a hold rather than the beginning.
Self-checks
- Is the lower back long, or has the pelvis tipped back?
- Are the knees dropping on their own, with the legs relaxed?
- Is the breath still even, or has it become shallow?
- Are the sitting bones evenly on the floor?
Safety
Skip or heavily modify the pose if any of these apply to you. When in doubt, ask a teacher who can see you move, or a clinician who knows your history.
- Groin or hamstring strain: keep the knees high and the hold short, or use the reclining version.
- Knee injury: do not let the knees drop below the point of comfort; support the thighs on blocks.
- Sciatica: sit higher and keep the spine upright; folding forward can aggravate it.
- Pregnancy: the reclining version is usually more comfortable; keep the knees supported.
- Recent hip surgery: get clearance before taking the knees out to the sides.
This page is informational only. It is not medical advice and no pose here is a treatment for any condition.
- Sit on a folded blanket or a block to tip the pelvis forward and let the knees drop.
- A block under each thigh, so the legs have something to rest on and can let go completely.
- A strap around the feet and the lower back, if the hands cannot comfortably reach the feet.
- Reclining version: lying on the back with the soles together, which removes the sitting entirely.
Useful propsMat · Blanket · Block · Strap
- A folded blanket under the sitting bones is the standard setup, not an optional extra.
- Two blocks, one under each thigh, let the legs fully relax — the single most useful prop for this pose.
- A strap around the feet and the lower back turns this into a fully supported hold.
- Groin or hamstring strain: keep the knees high and the hold short, or use the reclining version.
- Knee injury: do not let the knees drop below the point of comfort; support the thighs on blocks.
- Sciatica: sit higher and keep the spine upright; folding forward can aggravate it.
- Pregnancy: the reclining version is usually more comfortable; keep the knees supported.
- Recent hip surgery: get clearance before taking the knees out to the sides.
Long, slow nasal breathing with the exhale about twice the length of the inhale.
- The exhale is what allows the hips to release; make it the longer half of the breath.
- If the breath is short, the pelvis has tipped back and the fold has gone into the lower back.
- Two minutes of quiet breathing in the upright version is worth more than thirty seconds of pushing forward.