30 Days of Relaxation - Day 12

If yesterday's Bound Angle Pose did not provide enough feedback in your body, try going a bit deeper today in this version:

Supported Bound Angle Forward Fold ~ Baddha Konasana

 

To come into the pose:
Sit on the floor on your bum and settle into Bound Angle pose - soles of the feet together while the knees drop out to each side. Feet can be as close to or as far away from the body as is needed for comfort. Sit on a foam yoga wedge or a blanket (or two) to give a lift to your sit bones and help straighten your lower back. Position blocks or blankets under your knees on each side if needed. Stack up pillows and/or blankets in your lap (on top of your feet) and then gently fold yourself forward, resting your arms and head on your stack of pillows/blankets. Settle yourself in and stay as long as you are comfortable.

To come out of the pose:
Gently straighten the spine, push the pillows away from you, bring the knees together, and ease yourself to your next pose or toward getting up.

Sara's note: I offer this pose as an alternative for Supported Child's Pose if a student has had knee surgery or just cannot find comfort in Support Child's or Supported Puppy.

30 Days of Relaxation - Day 11

I think I will explore Bound Angle (Baddha Konasana) this week. I have 4 different supported options and I'll post one each day. For today:  

Semi-Upright, Supported Bound Angle Fold

To come into the pose: 
Sit on the floor in front of a chair in Bound Angle Pose - soles of the feet together while the knees drop out to each side. Feet can be as close to or as far away from the body as is needed for comfort. Sit on a wedge or a blanket to give a lift to your sit bones which allows your pelvis to tilt forward into a forward fold. Position blocks or blankets under your knees on each side if needed. Rest the arms and head on the chair's seat or add a block to the chair's seat in order to forward fold with comfort.

To come out of the pose: 
Gently roll your spine up, push the chair away from you, bring the knees together, and ease yourself to your next pose or toward getting up.

Sara's note: This version of Bound Angle is a supportive option for folks who have a hard time forward folding in Bound Angle without props. Using a wedge or a blanket under the sit bones will help lengthen the spine and using a chair to lean toward will offer a nice amount of height to allow a gentler opening. Resting the forehead on the block on top of the chair (as shown) decreases the pressure of the forward fold even more by creating enough height to keep your body long and aligned. Adding blocks or pillows on each side, under the outer thighs/knees, creates even more ease.

Supported Reclining Bound Angle

Blanket-foot Bound Angle

I've detailed other versions of Bound Angle and Reclining Bound Angle before (here and here). But this version is one of my favorites. It's easy to do at home or at yoga class. All you need are two medium-thick or thick blankets (three if you want one more to cover up with).

Setting up for the pose:
Roll one of your blankets into a small bolster and place it behind you lengthwise. It should be long enough to support your whole torso and your head. The blanket roll should be right up against your sacrum and when you lay on it your head should not be hanging off the end.

Fold your second blanket into a hotdog fold (fold in half lengthwise) and lay it down at the end of your mat by your feet (perpendicular to your mat).

Coming into the pose:
Sit in front of your bolster-rolled blanket with bent knees and your feet on your hotdog folded blanket. Fold the "hotdog folded" blanket over your feet making a "foot sandwich." (Now your blanket is folded twice, lengthwise, with your feet inside).

Pull the ends of your foot blanket toward you, tucking the feet in snugly.

Lay down on your bolster-rolled blanket and get comfortable. Your behind should be on the floor but the rest of your back and your head should be on the blanket roll. Let your knees fall open to the sides, tucking the ends of your "foot sandwich" blanket under your knees and/or hips to support the bound angle opening.

While in the pose:
You can experiment with what feels the best to you. If your head is tipped way back or you feel unsupported in the neck, place a folded blanket under the head and neck - not so thick that your head tips forward. Your head should be level with the body or slightly tipped back.

If your inner thighs feel too stretched, wad up your support blanket a little more and give your knees more height.

Send your arms out to the sides, palms up to encourage the heart center to open. If you feel too much pulling across the chest or through the arms, put a folded towel or blanket under each lower arm, supporting all the way to the fingertips.

If any other place in your body feels uncomfortable or unsupported, experiment with more props until you feel at ease.

Keep breathing, keep observing the pose in your body, and allow the body to open at its own rate. Commit to the stillness but do allow yourself to adjust your props and your body as you settle deeper in.

Coming out of the pose:
To come out, you can either help the knees come back together or you can send your legs straight out to stretch. Either way, roll to one side to rest before coming back to seated. A nice follow-up pose is a Supported Side Reclining Twist.

Enjoy!

Supported Reclining Bound Angle ~ Supta Baddha Konasana

Enjoy Supported Reclining Bound Angle

Everyone's Favorite Pose

To come into the pose:
Sit on the floor in Bound Angle pose (souls together and drawn in towards the body, knees out to the sides). Fix a belt/strap loosely around your waist, stretch it to the inside of the thighs and then wrap it around the back side of the feet/ankles. Lay back on the floor or on a bolster/pillow pile. Allow your knees to open out to the sides, resting them on bolsters, blocks or blankets for comfort. Draw your feet in closer to the body by tightening the belt as much as is comfortable. Let the arms rest out at your sides, palms facing up. There should be no strain on the shoulders or neck from the arms pulling down towards the floor. Support the arms with blocks, blankets or pillows as needed. Close the eyes and try to keep your attention on watching the breath. Stay as long as you like.

To come out:
Loosen the belt, bring the knees together, roll to one side and sit up slowly.

Supported Bound Angle Forward Fold Option 2

Enjoy Supported Bound Angle Forward Fold Option 2

An alternative to Supported Bound Angle

To come into the pose: 
Sit on the floor in front of a chair in Bound Angle pose - soles of the feet together while the knees drop out to each side. Feet can be as close to or as far away from the body as is needed for comfort. Sit on a wedge or a blanket to give a lift to your sit bones. Position blocks or blankets under your knees on each side if needed. Rest the arms and head on the chair's seat or add a block to the chair's seat in order to forward fold with comfort.

To come out of the pose: 
Gently roll up, push the chair away from you, bring the knees together, and roll to one side or to your knees to move to the next pose or to get up.

Sara's note: This is a great choice for folks who have a hard time forward folding in Bound Angle Pose. Using a wedge or a blanket under the sit bones will help lengthen the spine and using a chair instead of a bolster will offer more height to allow a gentler opening. Decrease the pressure of the forward fold even more by placing a block on the chair seat and resting the forehead on the block as shown. You can also support the knees with blocks or pillows on each side.

Supported Bound Angle Forward Fold ~ Baddha Konasana

Enjoy Supported Bound Angle Forward Fold

To come into the pose: sit on the floor in Bound Angle pose - soles of the feet together while the knees drop out to each side. Feet can be as close to or as far away from the body as is needed for comfort. Sit on a wedge or a blanket to give a lift to your sit bones. Position blocks or blankets under your knees on each side if needed. Rest the arms and head on a stack of as many bolsters or blankets as you need to be able to forward fold with comfort.

To come out of the pose: gently roll up, push the bolsters away from you, bring the knees together, and roll to one side or to your knees to move to the next pose or to get up.

Sara's note: I offer this pose as an alternative for Supported Child's Pose if a student has had knee surgery or just cannot find comfort in Support Child's or Supported Puppy.