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Butterfly pose (known as Baddha Konasana in Sanskrit) is a beginner-friendly yoga pose that helps open up your hips and ease tension.

It also helps stretch and strengthen many different muscles in your upper legs. This makes it a wonderful stretch for people with tight hip flexors, such as runners or folks who have a desk job, according to Emily Forte, E-RYT 500, YACEP, lead yoga teacher at YogaSix in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania.

To get the most out of this seated yoga posture, we spoke to Forte on how to do butterfly pose in yoga properly and all the different variations you can try to deepen the stretch.

How to do butterfly pose in yoga the right way every time

1. Start by sitting on a yoga mat with your legs extended out in front of you.
2. Bend your knees to bring the soles of your feet together evenly from toes to heels.
3. Grasp your feet with your hands.
4. Sit up tall with a straight spine, engaging your core muscles to support your back.
5. You can try gently pressing your knees down toward the floor with your hands if it’s comfortable for you. Keep the soles of your feet together throughout the pose.
6. Stay in the pose for at least 30 seconds.
7. To come out of the pose, slowly bring your knees together and extend your legs out in front of you.

Butterfly pose muscles worked

Butterfly pose in yoga mostly targets the muscles in your thighs and core. Here’s a breakdown of all the muscles butterfly pose works.

• Adductors: These are your inner thigh muscles, and they extend down from the pelvic bone down to the inner thigh and knee. As you bring your knees out to the sides, you’ll feel your adductors getting a good stretch. Folding forward in the pose (a variation you’ll see below) can help you deepen the inner-thigh stretch even more.
• Quadriceps: Also known as quads, or your front thigh muscles, the butterfly gives you a nice quad stretch while opening your hip flexors.
• Lower back muscles: Butterfly pose can help soothe tension in your lower back muscles along your spine.
• Abdominals: Sitting up straight in the pose can help work your ab muscles in your core, improving your posture.

Butterfly pose benefits

1. It loosens tight hips and back

Butterfly