How is Supta Baddha Konasana Different From Baddha Konasana?

 

Baddha Konasana is also called as the butterfly pose. This is a hip opening pose for the beginners to yoga. On regular practice of this poses, the tension in the hip and pelvic muscles is relaxed and these become more flexible. The joints of knees and pelvic region also get the much needed exercise which helps the retain mobility and fight degenerative ailments which happen with aging. The asana is particularly helpful to the pregnant women as it helps in easing the labour pain and better handling of the pregnancy-related issues. Baddha konasana is a sitting pose. A variant of this pose is the Supta Baddha Konasana which is done in the lying down position. As the name suggests, it is done in a way a person is about to fall asleep.

While lying down, the spine rests on the floor while the legs are in same formation as in the Baddha Konasana. The difference between the two poses lies in how these are practiced.

You can practice this asana in simple steps-

1.  At first, lie down on your back.

2.  Spread out the legs and fold the knees inwards so that the inner side of feet touch each other.

3.  At this stage, you shall try to make effort and adjust the pose by bringing the joint feet close to the groin region. There would be a limit to which you can bring this close to groin just by itself.

4.  In order to bring the feet closer to groin, you shall make some adjustments. Either push yourself down a little by holding the feet together or use the hands to lift the feet close to groin.

5.  After bringing it closer to the groin to the maximum level, hold the position and feel the stretch in the groin, inner thighs and pelvic region. You can also move the knees the up and down just as a butterfly flutters its wings. Hands can be kept sideways or on the knees.

The supta baddha konasana or the reclining bound angle pose is also beneficial for the people for attaining strength and flexibility in muscles.