Butterfly On Back Pose

Movement Focus: Stillness, belly softening.

Time: Thirty seconds.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back.
2. Place the soles of your feet together, heels a few inches from your pubic bone, with your knees bent out to the side like butterfly wings.
3. Place your palms on your belly and take several long breaths into your palms.

Benefits: Frees hips, stretches adductor muscles, and improves circulation through hips.

Beginning Modification: Place a pillow under each knee for support.

Advanced Modification: While in Butterfly, add one minute of Breath of Fire. (Breath of Fire: Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, with an emphasis on a strong exhale as you draw your navel in toward your spine.) 

Mental Focus:

The way you begin your practice sets the tone for the rest of the journey. An opening posture such as this allows you to start your practice quietly and provides a chance to let go of your usual daily concerns, to draw your energy and awareness inward, and to become centered. This, in turn, allows you to move deeper into your own body’s intelligence and benefit more greatly from your practice.