Our featured yoga pose of the week is butterfly pose. This pose is a great stretch for your hips, which is important for those of us who sit most of the day, or notice a lack mobility when squatting or doing other movements. This pose is quite accessible, the only reason you might not want to try this pose would be if you have a knee injury and cannot bend your knees much.
Directions:
- Start sitting in a comfortable place (carpet, towel, yoga mat, etc.)
- Bring the soles of your feet together. Sit up as tall as you can.
- Allow your knees to fall outwards. Press down on them gently with your hands or elbows for more sensation here.
- For more intensity, you can lean forward. Try to keep a relatively straight back as you fold forward. Some rounding is okay, but if you start to feel discomfort in your low back, pull away.
- Stay here and breathe deeply for 1-3 minutes. Come out the same way you got in.
Tips:
- If you are finding it difficult to sit up tall with your feet together, you can sit up on a block or pillow to allow you a bit more space to sit up.
- Try to bring your feet closer or further from your body to notice the difference in where you feel tightness/a stretch.
- If you are dealing with a knee injury and cannot bend your knees much, this might not be the pose for you.
Leave any requests for areas of the body that you’d like to see a pose for!
