Butterfly Stretch
What Is the Butterfly Stretch?
Butterfly Stretch is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the hips and groin, lengthening the adductor muscles along the inner thighs. It is a beginner-level movement, held for time as a static stretch, in which you sit on the floor with the soles of your feet pressed together and your knees open to the sides.
In yoga the same seat is called Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana), and some teachers call it Cobbler's Pose. It is one of the most common inner-thigh stretches in gyms, yoga classes and team-sport cooldowns, because it needs no equipment and both legs stretch at once. Like other long static holds it fits best after training or in a separate mobility session, while the version where the knees move up and down, Butterfly Flaps, suits a warm-up.
With the soles together and the knees falling out, both hips are bent, spread and turned out, which puts the stretch into the adductor longus and the other short adductors high on the inner thigh. Sliding the heels closer to the pelvis makes the stretch stronger, while moving them farther away makes it gentler. Hinging forward from the hips with a long spine adds hip flexion, which shifts more of the stretch into the adductor magnus toward the back of the inner thigh. Because the knees stay bent, the gracilis, which crosses the knee, gets much less stretch than in a straight-leg position such as the Lying Adductor Stretch or the Seated Wide-Leg Forward Fold.
The stretch suits anyone whose inner thighs feel tight when sitting cross-legged, squatting with a wide stance or moving side to side, and it is a gentle entry point before deeper groin stretches such as Frog Pose. If your knees sit high or your lower back rounds, sit on a folded blanket and move your feet farther forward rather than forcing the position. Flexibility alone does not protect the groin from strains; adductor strength work such as the Copenhagen Plank does more of that job, so treat this stretch as a complement to strengthening, not a replacement.
Muscles Worked
- Adductor Longus
- Primary
- Adductor Magnus
- High
- Gluteus Maximus
- Minimal
Instructions
- Sit on the floor with your legs out in front of you, then bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall open to the sides.
- Slide your heels toward your pelvis until they rest a comfortable distance in front of you, closer for a stronger stretch and farther away for a gentler one.
- Wrap both hands around your feet, keeping your forearms inside your knees and your arms nearly straight.
- Sit tall on your sit bones, lift your chest, relax your shoulders down and look straight ahead.
- Let your knees lower toward the floor under their own weight without pressing on them.
- To deepen the stretch, hinge forward a few inches from your hips with a long back until you feel more stretch along your inner thighs.
- Hold still for 15 to 30 seconds, breathing slowly and letting your knees settle a little with each exhale.
- Return to sitting tall, then repeat the hold two to four times before bringing your knees together and straightening your legs.
Common Mistakes
Forcing the knees down
Pressing the knees toward the floor with the hands or elbows strains the groin and the inside of the knees, so let them lower under their own weight and support them with blocks if they sit high.
Slumping onto the tailbone
Rolling back onto the tailbone rounds the lower back and takes the stretch out of the inner thighs, so sit tall on your sit bones or raise your hips on a folded blanket.
Folding from the upper back
Curling the head and chest toward the feet looks deeper but only rounds the spine, while a small hinge from the hips with a long back is what adds to the stretch.
Heels jammed into the groin
Pulling the feet in as close as they will go before the hips are ready twists the knees and ankles, so start with the feet a comfortable distance away and bring them closer over time.
Bouncing to go deeper
Jerking the knees or torso to push past the end of your range jolts the groin, so ease into the position and hold it still.
Holding the breath
Holding the breath keeps the hips and shoulders tense, so breathe slowly and let the knees settle a little lower on each exhale.
Injuries
Butterfly Stretch is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. It uses no load beyond the weight of your legs, and you control how far the knees open. The groin is the main strain point, especially when the knees are pushed toward the floor or bounced, followed by the inside of the knees if the heels are jammed in close and the knees are forced down, and the lower back if you slump onto your tailbone or curl forward to reach deeper.
Let the knees lower under their own weight and never press them down with your hands or elbows. If they sit high, rest them on yoga blocks or cushions, and if your back rounds, sit on a folded blanket so your hips are higher than your knees. Moving your feet farther from your pelvis eases the stretch on the groin and knees, and placing your hands on the floor behind you takes weight off the lower back. To progress, draw the heels a little closer, add a small forward hinge from the hips, or add another round of the hold. For a deeper adductor stretch once this feels easy, move on to Frog Pose.
Stop if you feel sharp pain in the groin, pain on the inside of the knee, or a pinching sensation at the front of the hip; a steady, dull pull along the inner thighs is the target. Anyone with a recent groin strain should keep the range small until it heals, and anyone recovering from hip or knee surgery, including a hip replacement, should clear the position with their surgeon or physical therapist first. During pregnancy, pelvic girdle pain often hurts when the legs move apart, so keep the knees within the range that stays pain-free or skip the stretch.
- Primary Focus
- Hips & groin
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Stretching
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Butterfly Stretch
The Butterfly Stretch is also known as:
- Bound Angle Pose
- Baddha Konasana
- Cobbler's Pose
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is the Butterfly Stretch the same as Bound Angle Pose?
Yes. Bound Angle Pose, or Baddha Konasana, is the yoga name for the same seated position with the soles together, and it is also called Cobbler's Pose. Butterfly Flaps start from the same seat but move the knees up and down instead of holding them still.
- Q: How long should I hold the Butterfly Stretch?
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat two to four times, so you spend about 60 seconds in the stretch in total. Older adults often do better with holds of 30 to 60 seconds, and longer holds in yoga classes are fine as long as the groin and knees stay comfortable.
- Q: Why do my knees stay high off the floor?
The shape of the hip socket and thigh bone varies from person to person, so some people's knees will never reach the floor no matter how flexible they are. Support the knees on blocks or cushions, move your feet farther forward, and judge progress by the stretch you feel rather than how low the knees go.
- Q: Does the Butterfly Stretch stretch the whole groin?
Not evenly. A shear wave elastography study of 16 healthy men found the adductor longus was under more passive tension when the leg was spread with the hip slightly extended than with the hip bent to 80 degrees, and the butterfly keeps the hips bent throughout. Pair it with a straight-hip stretch such as the Side Lunge Stretch to stretch the inner thigh from a straight-hip position as well.
- Q: Should I do the Butterfly Stretch before or after training?
Either works, but long static holds fit best after training or in a separate mobility session. Before training, keep the holds short and follow them with dynamic work such as Butterfly Flaps so the hips are warm and ready to move.
- Q: Can I do the Butterfly Stretch while pregnant?
Often yes, as long as you sit on a cushion, skip the deep forward fold and let the knees open only as far as feels comfortable. Pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy often hurts when the legs move apart, so if the front or back of your pelvis aches, stay within your pain-free range or leave the stretch out and ask your midwife or a pelvic health physical therapist.