Bound Angle Pose Step-By-Step
- Come to a seated position on your mat and bend your knees to bring the soles of your feet to touch.
- Grow tall through the crown of your head and allow gravity to guide the knees lower.
- From here, use your hands to cradle your feet.
- Close your eyes and breath into your belly.
- If you choose to, you might also like to move your chest down towards your feet – being sure to maintain a straight spine.
Bound Angle Pose Quick Look
Sanskrit Name: Baddha Konasana
Pose Type: Forward Bend Yoga Poses, Hip-Opening Yoga Poses, Seated Yoga Poses
Difficulty Level: Beginner pose
Targets: Lower back, feet, ankles, hamstrings, hips, knees, pelvis
Benefits: This pose improves flexibility in the knees and strengthens the lower back muscles and spine. Bound angle pose is a helpful pose to practice before seated meditation as it will prepare your muscles for sitting cross-legged. It can also help to relieve menstrual pain.
Preparatory Poses: Garland pose, seated forward bend pose
Notes
As one of the very first yoga poses that you’ll learn, bound angle pose holds a special place for all of us. For many of us, it might be the first experience of holding onto our feet – imagine that! This pose requires you to sit with a straight spine which can sometimes feel uncomfortable if you’re not used to it. Props are your best friends here. See our variation pose at the bottom of the page for more info.
“Bound angle pose is a meditative pose that can help us connect to our root chakra and breath,” says Yoga Answered contributor Keira Shepherd. “To really enjoy the benefits of this pose, consider adding cushions and blocks to support you.”
Beginner’s Tip
If your hip flexors are particularly tight, you might find that you struggle to stay upright in this position and feel as though you’re about to roll onto your back. If this is the case, bring blocks and cushions underneath your sit bones until your knees are lower than your hips in bound angle pose.
Contraindications
- Avoid this pose if you have sciatica.
- If the stretch feels too intense in your hips or knees, bring a cushion or block underneath each knee.
- Don’t use your hands to force your knees lower. Instead, bring a cushion or block underneath your sit bones and allow the knees to fall naturally towards the ground.
Variation
This pose can feel particularly inviting with the addition of a few props. Start by bringing a block or cushion beneath the sit bones to lift your hips and encourage your pelvis to tip forwards slightly.
Add a block or cushion underneath each knee to reduce to stretching sensation in your hip flexors and make this pose more restorative. You can also practice this pose in a supine position – lying on the ground. From laying, simply bring the soles of your feet to touch. This will encourage a deeper stretch in the hips without compromising your straight spine.