Cobbler’s pose or baddha konasana (sometimes called bound angle pose) can be a great stretch for the muscles in your inner thighs and groin (the adductor muscles). But if you have tight hips, it can be a difficult position to sit comfortably in – having tight hip muscles will affect how you sit and that will affect your spine. And if you can’t get comfortable to start with, you will likely find it hard to then relax the muscles of your inner thighs or groin to get the intended benefit.
A good sign that you might need to change your position is when you find that your back is starting to round forward, especially at the base of the spine (the lumbar spine) either when you try to sit in the pose or when you reach your hands forward. This spinal position isn’t great for your spine so it’s a good red flag that you need to adapt things for your body.
So how to get comfortable for your spine in cobbler’s pose?
There are two simple options. First, you can sit on something – like a folded blanket or yoga block.
Second, try taking your hands behind you and lean back. When you lean back this is a safer position for the spine. It helps you keep the spine in a more neutral position.
But there are other benefits too. If you turn your hands behind as I describe in this video (from a mini morning class), you can push down into your hands. This can help you lengthen up through your spine more, and press your hips forward – giving you a better stretch in a safer position for your body.
Once you find a position where there is no strain in your back, see if you can relax your knees down – imagine there are weights on your knees and you are letting go to let the knees drop. If you would like a deeper stretch in your inner thighs, try squeezing your buttocks – as these muscles tighten it will help pull your knees down, lengthening or stretching the inner thigh muscles.
But a caution, if you have a large range of motion in your hips (when you sit in this position your knees easily drop downwards – almost to the floor) be careful and don’t overstretch. Too much flexibility in these muscles and ligaments can negatively affect your knees and hips. I’ll write more about this in a future post.
Find more variations and tips for this pose or check out the restorative version.
