What's your favourite pose?

Last week, one of my students asked me what my favourite pose is. It’s something I’ve thought about numerous times before and every time I come back to the question my answer’s the same – butterfly, also known as baddha konasana, or bound angle/cobbler’s pose. It’s likely to be a pose that’s familiar to you, particularly if you’ve practised with me as it appears, in some way, shape or form, in virtually every class that I teach (and each of my own practices) – it’s where the soles of the feet are placed together and the knees rest out to the sides creating a diamond shape with the legs.

It’s so versatile; it can be practised sitting upright, sitting while folding forwards, on one side with one leg bent and the knee out to the site and the other straight (half butterfly or janu sirsasana), lying on the back or in inversions, whether that’s up the wall like the version shown in the photo or in headstand, handstand or forearm stand if you’re so inclined.

In a yin practice, where the pose is held for several minutes, the Kidney energy channel (meridian) is stimulated as it flows along the inner legs along with the Liver meridian, which runs just above that of the Kidney. Add in a fold over the legs and the Urinary Bladder meridian is stimulated as it runs along the back body parallel to the spine. According to Chinese medicine, the kidneys are home to our essence energy and are considered to be the essence of growth and decline, connected to our ancestry, our inherited constitution and our capacity for differentiation into yin and yang. They work overtime when we’re stressed and therefore establishing balance in our lives is essential for the health of the kidneys as well as the body’s other organs (1). A yin yoga practice focusing on poses which stimulate the Kidney meridian, including butterfly, help to establish, or re-establish this balance.

In a yang (more active) practice, I like to teach the supine version of the pose at the beginning or end of class, and sometimes both. The proximity of the heels to the body can be adjusted to suit and blocks can be placed under one leg or both if more support is desired. At the beginning of class I often like to teach the pose with the arms out to the sides or over the head with the palms facing up to invite in more energy; at the end of class I encourage the arms to the sides of the body, palms facing down, to help create a more restful and calm state.

If you’d like to experience the wonders of this pose for yourself, check out my schedule for both yin and yang classes where you’ll be sure to practise at least one version of butterfly! And it you’d like to share your favourite or go-to pose, get in touch!

1 From Sarah Powers, Insight Yoga, 2008.

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