Pose of The Month
Supta Baddha Konasana: Reclined Bound Angle Pose.
Start laying down on your mat, bend your knees up to the ceiling and draw the soles of your feet together allowing the knees t roll out to the sides.
This can be very strong on the inner thighs and groin so if you are feeling any tension you can use props underneath the knees. You could use bolsters, cushions or yoga bricks under your knees, just make sure that they are both at the same height.
You can place your hands on your belly to connect to your breath in this pose - letting your belly fill up with air on your inhale, expanding into your hands and letting the belly sink back down on your exhale. Belly breathing and breathing into your diaphragm is a really effective way to calm the nervous system down.
Alternatively if you want to create more space through the front of the body and maybe feel more open, you can take your arms in a cactus shape. Bend your elbows at shoulder height and place the back of the hands on the floor allowing the shoulders and arms to relax into the floor evenly.
To come out of this posture, use your hands on the outside of your thighs to pull your knees back together, then roll over onto one side and then you can push yourself up.
Benefits of this pose
Stretches the inner thighs, groins, and knees
Helps relieve the symptoms of stress
Helps to find some opening space throughout the front of the body - hips and heart space
Balancing posture - grounding down equally through the shoulders and hips
If you are comfortable with this pose and want to add something to us you can place a yoga brick underneath your sacrum. Use only the 2 lower levels of the brick - I wouldn't use the highest setting for this posture as it could add a lot of pressure on your knee joints.
Make it even more Restorative
You can practice this pose whilst laying down over a bolster (or even two pillows wrapped in a blanket) to feel completely supported throughout your torso.
Use can also us a strap in a figure of 8 to hammock the thighs allowing you to completely relax your legs and feel supported in the pose.
