In short: reclining bound angle is lying on your back with the soles of the feet together and the knees falling open to the sides, usually with a bolster under the back and blocks under the thighs. It gently opens the inner thighs and the front of the body and is one of the best-known restorative poses. Support the knees well, so the inner thighs can let go instead of straining.
This is bound angle pose (butterfly) laid down on its back. Without props it is a mild hip stretch; with a bolster and blocks it becomes a pose you can rest in for ten minutes, which is why it appears at the end of so many gentle and restorative classes. Below we explain the name, the prop setup that makes it comfortable, the precautions and where it fits in a practice.
About the name
The Sanskrit name used by Yoga Journal is Supta Baddha Koṇāsana: supta, lying down, baddha, bound, koṇa, angle, and āsana, posture (see what asana means and our Sanskrit pose-name glossary). In English you will also hear reclining butterfly or reclined cobbler’s pose. Yin teachers use the same shape without the Sanskrit name: Bernie Clark offers the reclining version of butterfly for students whose backs do not like folding forward. The pose is not in Light on Yoga; in the Iyengar method it is taught from Geeta Iyengar’s Yoga: A Gem for Women, and both the UK and Canadian Iyengar associations list it among the restorative poses of their introductory teaching syllabi, with a blanket or bolster along the spine and under the head.
Setting up with props
For the restorative version, place a bolster lengthwise on the mat and sit with your back against its short end. Bring the soles of the feet together and let the knees open. Lean back onto your hands, then forearms, and lie down along the bolster, with a folded blanket under the head so the chin is slightly lower than the forehead. Slide a block, cushion or folded blanket under each outer thigh. Yoga Journal’s restorative guide suggests two to five minutes; its pose page suggests starting with one minute and building up to five or ten.
Two details make a big difference. First, support the thighs high enough that you feel a gentle stretch, not a pull; if the knees hang, the inner thighs and belly tense. Yoga Journal makes the same point: pressing the knees down usually hardens the groins, while letting them float lets the groins soften. Second, the feet do not have to be close to the pelvis. Sliding them further away makes the pose milder, and a block under the feet helps if the inner thighs still strain. A strap looped around the lower back and over the feet keeps the feet from sliding, if you want to stay longer.
Without props, lie flat with a blanket roll under the knees, or rest the legs in the same shape up a wall, as Yoga Journal shows. Rest the arms at about 45 degrees from the body, palms up, and let the breath settle. To come out, use your hands to bring the knees together, roll onto one side and press up slowly.
Precautions in plain words
Groin, inner-thigh or knee pain means the knees need more support or the feet need to move further away. With a hip replacement or a groin injury, check with your doctor or physiotherapist first. Lying on the back is not recommended for long periods after the first trimester of pregnancy; prop the bolster higher on a block so the torso is clearly inclined, or rest on your side instead, and follow your health care provider’s advice. If the lower back pinches over the bolster, lower it or place a folded blanket under the pelvis. This page is general information, not individual advice.
Preparation and what comes next
Seated bound angle and reclining hand-to-big-toe pose prepare the inner thighs. Yoga Journal lists the pose as useful preparation for many standing poses, cow face pose, garland pose and lotus. In a restorative sequence it often comes before supported bridge, legs up the wall and corpse pose. The yin cousin is yin butterfly, a rounded forward fold held for minutes.
Where it is taught
Reclining bound angle is a staple of restorative and Iyengar-influenced classes and appears at the end of many hatha and vinyasa sessions. It is a good place to practise slow diaphragmatic breathing or a short guided Yoga Nidra.
