Reclined Butterfly

On your back, soles of the feet together, knees falling wide. Both hips and the whole front of the body open at once, with the floor doing the holding.

· 2 min read

yoga · adductor · hip · chest · breath · supine

The lesson

  1. 1

    Lie down and bring the soles together

    On your back, knees bent, then let the soles of the feet come together and the knees drop out to the sides.

  2. 2

    Prop the knees, always

    A cushion, a folded towel or a rolled jumper under each knee. This is not a concession — supported is what lets the groin let go instead of guarding.

  3. 3

    Set the depth with your feet

    Feet further from the body is gentler, feet drawn in close is deeper. Slide them, never push the knees down.

  4. 4

    Open the chest if you want it

    A rolled towel running lengthwise under your spine, from the low back to the head, lifts the ribs and opens the front of the shoulders. Optional, and very good after a day at a desk.

  5. 5

    Arms wide, palms up

    Let the arms rest away from the body with the palms facing the ceiling. Turning the palms up is what stops the shoulders rolling forward.

  6. 6

    The test

    A wide, mild opening across the inner thighs and the front of the hips, and the ribs free to move. If anything is sharp in the groin, more support under the knees.

Reclined Butterfly

How to do it

Lie on your back with the knees bent, then bring the soles of the feet together and let the knees fall out to the sides. Put a cushion or a folded towel under each knee. Rest the arms away from the body with the palms facing up. If you want the chest more open, run a rolled towel lengthwise under the spine so the ribs lift. Stay for several minutes and let the shape open on its own.

Why it's good for runners

Running is a narrow corridor: forward and back, over and over, with the hips closing and the shoulders rounding a little more with every mile of fatigue. This shape is the opposite of all of it at once — both hips opening outward, the inner thighs lengthening, the chest and the front of the shoulders spreading, and none of it worked at.

It is also one of the best positions in the method for breathing. The ribs are unweighted and the chest is open, so the breath has room to move without being steered, which is why it sits where it does in the session that is about the nervous system rather than the tissue.

Common mistakes

Don't do this unsupported and call it stronger. Knees hanging in space with nothing under them makes the groin tighten to protect itself, and a guarded muscle does not lengthen — the cushions are what make the pose work. Don't press the knees toward the floor with the hands. Don't set the feet so close that it becomes intense; this is a shape you should be able to forget you are in. And if the low back complains, slide the feet further away and add a little more under the knees.

Related

Yoga poses

Legs Up the Wall

Sit up against a wall, swing the legs up it, and stay. Three shapes in one position — straight, wide, soles together — and you never come down between them.

Yoga poses

Butterfly

Seated, soles of the feet together, knees falling wide. The inner thigh and the deep hip, with nothing holding you up.

Yoga poses

Corpse

Flat on your back, doing nothing on purpose. The end of the session, and the only shape in the method with no shape to hold.

Back to Yoga poses