Baddhakonasana or Bound Angle Pose is a restorative yoga pose that provides space and time for breathing. As it prepares you for seated meditation it stretches open the hips and thighs and allows the feet to come together like folded hands.
Baddha in Hindi means large, however Bandha means to be bound, so perhaps somewhere along the way the n got dropped. I’m not sure. Regardless, this yoga pose is all about being in the present moment, and provides an opportunity for self-reflection and self-growth as you move forward in your yoga practice.
Yogi Nikki takes time to reflect on Bound Angle Pose, “This is one of the poses that helped teach me the power of being present. So many sensations, so much space to move into, to ease out of, so much room to breathe and to reach, to relent and to soften, and all of it happens here, now.”
“It is a pose that reminds me that every pose, if you let it be, is a beautiful conversation between body and breath, heart and soul, with no true beginning or end. And so why hurry forward, why look back, instead, breathe deep and surrender to the moment.”
Yogi Leslie Storms reflects on her own experience with Baddhakonasana, “I believe I have experienced a tremendous amount of hurt…because honestly, I used to long for anything other than what I had. And ultimately my happiness and/or fate was left in my own hands and I dropped the ball.”
Through yoga, Leslie has begun to use the power of positive affirmations and has taken steps towards gratitude and contentment, versus feeding a constant craving. “Just today I found myself doubting a situation, but I quickly began to implement a positive affirmation which completely transformed the energies. Change unfolds one moment at a time.”
Today as you fold into Baddhakonasana take time to appreciate that change and as Nikki says, “Surrender to the moment.”
Join in the #empoweredyogis yoga challenge, happening this month on Instagram, and follow Leslie (@LeslieStorms) there.
For details and Instructions on Suptabaddhakonasana or a reclined version of this pose read a previous TryBelle Magazine article.
As with any exercise program you must know yourself and understand your own health before attempting.
