Yoga pose explained: Baddha Konasana

Badhha Konasana:
Bound Angle Pose

First Chakra opening pose, groin opener. Be gentle with this area, it's a place where we tend to hold a lot of emotions and stress, so like a beautiful flower, let it slowly come to bloom, without forcing it and breaking it.
It is very common for people to feel tears arise with this pose, let them flow and feel the sadness flow out of your body, making room for happiness and joy!!


Step by Step

1
 Sit with your legs straight out in front of you, raising your pelvis on a blanket if your hips or groins are tight. Exhale, bend your knees, pull your heels toward your pelvis, then drop your knees out to the sides and press the soles of your feet together.

2
Bring your heels as close to your pelvis as you comfortably can. With the first and second finger and thumb, grasp the big toe of each foot. Always keep the outer edges of the feet firmly on the floor. If it isn't possible to hold the toes, clasp each hand around the same-side ankle or shin.

3
Sit so that the pubis in front and the tailbone in back are equidistant from the floor. The perineum then will be approximately parallel to the floor and the pelvis in a neutral position. Firm the sacrum and shoulder blades against the back and lengthen the front torso through the top of the sternum.

4
Never force your knees down. Instead release the heads of the thigh bones toward the floor. When this action leads, the knees follow.

5
Stay in this pose anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes. Then inhale, lift your knees away from the floor, and extend the legs back to their original position.

Go with the magical flow of life.

Namaste

Magical India

Since the beginning of the New Year we have been travelling this fast country, the birthplace of Yoga. Infused fully with spirituality, religion and ... dirt. In the short time that we have been here we have already intertwined with Swamis, smelling the sweet fragrance of incensed air during temple rituals, seen different hospitals and drips after multiple food poisoning, surfed the small, gentle waves of the Indian ocean, had amazing, energetic Yoga sessions on the beach and enjoyed the beautiful sceneries during an amazing 15hour train trip.

Religion and spirituality is everywhere, spread through India, with a multitude of temples, holy men and cows, shrines in the form of rickshaws and offerings everywhere ( unfortunately not all bio degradable..). With all this practice of becoming totally aware and in the present moment, on which this whole country is brought up, I am totally surprised and a little bit let down, that there is so much dirt everywhere.. and I am not talking about the poor areas of India, no this dirt is everywhere, there is not a river flowing without the obstruction of some kind of plastic or other unspecified object, no place to be found where you can smell the sweet air of freshness for longer then 5 minutes, before some waft of whatever ruins the moment..

I am delighted to be able to see this amazing country, this birthplace of Yoga, which I love so much, but I have also deeply realized that spirituality is not a country and for me especially not one where there are so many environmental issues. Spirituality is in your heart, your soul and living in a beautiful place like the westcoast of Portugal, with it's beautiful clean oceans and nature makes it a lot easier for me to calm my mind, awaken my kundalini and have a deep connection with everything around me. But for now it is what it is, Om Tat Sat, and being here is an amazing learning experience, because if I can find my peace of mind here in India with it's population of 1.170.938.000, I can find it anywhere :-)

Namaste,
Love n Light,
Shaini