How do you do Bound Angle (A/B/C)?

1. Sit with the soles of the feet together, knees open to the sides. 2. For stage A, fold forward with a flat spine, hands holding the feet, chest reaching toward the feet without rounding. 3. For stage B, allow the spine to round, working the crown of the head toward the feet. 4. For stage C, release the fold, press the knees down toward the floor, and open the feet like a book, soles no longer pressed together. 5. Hold each stage for five breaths, gaze to the nose, before transitioning to the next.

What are the benefits of Bound Angle (A/B/C)?

Hip external rotation, tested through three distinct positions; Spinal flexion in stage B specifically; Hip flexor and inner-thigh release in stage C.

What modifications can I use for Bound Angle (A/B/C)?

A block or bolster under the sitting bones throughout all three stages.; Blocks under the knees in stage C if they're hovering high off the floor..

PA-0066

Bound Angle (A/B/C)

Baddha Konasana

IntermediateSeated FoundationsSeated

At a glance

The primary series progression of Bound Angle, moving through three distinct stages: a flat-spine fold, a rounded fold bringing the crown toward the feet, and a final stage with the knees pressing down and the feet opening flat like a book. Each stage asks something different of the hips and spine.

“Let each of the three stages settle before moving to the next.”

Essence

The three stages aren't simply three depths of the same stretch, they're three distinct actions. Treating B as just "a deeper A" or C as just "a deeper B" misses that each one is asking the hips and spine to organize themselves differently, and understanding that difference is what makes the progression teachable.

Intention

To move through three distinct stages of Bound Angle, each asking something different of the hips and spine.

What this pose develops

Physical

•Hip external rotation, tested through three distinct positions
•Spinal flexion in stage B specifically
•Hip flexor and inner-thigh release in stage C

Mental

•Attention to the distinct quality of each stage, rather than treating them as one continuous stretch
•Sustained focus across a three-part sequence

Teaching concepts

•Cueing each stage's distinct action clearly, rather than blending them together
•Reading which stage is honestly available today, since they don't necessarily progress evenly

How to practise

1Sit with the soles of the feet together, knees open to the sides.
2For stage A, fold forward with a flat spine, hands holding the feet, chest reaching toward the feet without rounding.
3For stage B, allow the spine to round, working the crown of the head toward the feet.
4For stage C, release the fold, press the knees down toward the floor, and open the feet like a book, soles no longer pressed together.
5Hold each stage for five breaths, gaze to the nose, before transitioning to the next.

Alignment exploration

Instead of searching for the “correct” position, notice:

•Stage A: spine flat and long, fold coming from the hips.
•Stage B: spine allowed to round, crown reaching rather than the chest.
•Stage C: knees pressing down passively, feet opened flat, no forward fold.
•Throughout: sitting bones grounded and even.

Breath

Ujjayi breath, with each stage's transition linked to a breath, moving through the sequence with intention rather than rushing between the three positions.

Teacher’s eye

Make sure a student understands these are three different actions, not one stretch getting progressively deeper. A student attempting stage C's knee-press with stage A's flat spine, for example, has blended two different instructions together.

Student practice

Reflect after practising:

•These three stages ask different things of your body. It's normal for one to feel more available than the others on a given day.
•Stage C in particular asks for patience. The knees pressing toward the floor is a gravity-led release, not something to force.

Common movement strategies

Rather than mistakes, you may notice:

•Practice each stage independently across several sessions before linking all three together in sequence, to build a clear, distinct sense of each one.

Modifications

•A block or bolster under the sitting bones throughout all three stages.
•Blocks under the knees in stage C if they're hovering high off the floor.

Props

Block or bolsterYoga blocks

Completion check

✓Release stage C, bringing the soles back together and the knees toward center, before extending the legs to rest.

Related poses

Prerequisites

Bound Angle (basic)

Prepares for

Wide-Angle Seated Fold (A/B)

Complements

Tortoise Pose

Counterposes

Staff Pose

Alternatives

Working each stage independently

Progressions

Deeper fold in stage B

Regressions

Bound Angle (basic)

Related movement concepts

Three distinct actions rather than one progressively deepening stretchStage-specific alignment cuesUneven availability across stages as normal, not a problem

Search tags

seatedashtangahip-openerintermediateprimary-series

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