Supta Baddha Konasana
(Reclining Bound Angle Pose)
Supta means "sleeping or reclining" (here the meaning is strictly reclining), Baddha means "Bound", and the literal meaning of Konasana is "angle". Supta Baddha konasana is classic restorative posture that can be modified to meet any level of resistance in the hips and groins.
Asana technique
The procedure should be started by acquiring "Baddha Konasana" posture.
While in the above-mentioned posture, Exhale and lower your back torso toward the floor while 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.
While gripping 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.
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.
While practicing this posture in the beginning, 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 with head trailing the torso.
Aid: In case, you feel any strain in the inner thighs and groins support each of your thighs on a block or folded blanket slightly above the maximum stretch of the groins. Make sure each support, whether a block or blanket, is the same height. Continue sinking the groins into the pelvis.
You can also lay a 10-pound sandbag across each inner groin, right where the thigh joins the pelvis (the bags will form a "V" with its apex at your pubis).
Warning: don`t use the bags unless your thighs are supported.
Suggestion: You can also involve your arms in this pose.
Inhale and raise your arms toward the ceiling, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the floor. Rock back and forth a few times, further broadening the shoulder blades across your back.
Then inhale again and stretch your arms overhead, on the floor, palms up toward the ceiling. Rotate your arms so the outer armpits roll toward the ceiling and pull your shoulder blades down your back toward your tailbone.
Benefits of Supta Baddha Konasana
The posture stimulates abdominal organs like the ovaries and prostate gland, bladder, and kidneys.
It stimulates the heart and improves general circulation.
Stretches the inner thighs, groins and knees.
Helps in relieving stress, mild depression, menstruation and menopause.
Precautions
In case of Groin or knee injury, Only perform this pose with blanket supports under the outer thighs .
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