Bhadrasana

Bhadrasana rounds out the Hatha Yoga Pradipika's list of four essential postures, alongside Siddhasana, Padmasana and Simhasana. Bhadra means auspicious or gracious, which is a pretty pleasant name for a pose.

The classical shape, heels held together on either side of the perineum with the hands holding the feet firmly in place, resembles the modern Bound Angle Pose, though the details differ enough that they're worth treating as close relatives rather than identical twins.

It's used as a stable meditation seat, and the old text specifically credits it with chasing away fatigue.

It's generally approachable, especially for anyone already comfortable with hip-opening seated postures.

Bhadrasana places the heels together on either side of the perineum, with the hands holding the feet firmly joined. The knees typically rest out to the sides, hip openers doing their hip opener thing.

It resembles the contemporary Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana) closely enough that people often treat them as the same pose, but the classical description and hand placement aren't a perfect match, so think of them as cousins rather than duplicates.

It's used primarily as a seated meditation posture, valued for its stability.

गुल्फौ च वृषणस्याधः सीवन्याः पार्श्वयोः क्षिपेत्

सव्यगुल्फं तथा सव्ये दक्षगुल्फं तु दक्षिणे

पार्श्वपादौ च पाणिभ्यां दृढं बद्ध्वा सुनिश्चलम्

Transliteration:

ghulphau cha vrshanasyadhah sivantyah parsvayoh kshipet

savyaghulpham tatha savye dakshaghulpham tu dakshine

parsvapadau cha panibhyam drdham baddhva sunischalam

Hatha Yoga Pradipika, chapter 1, verses 55 to 56 (in Pancham Sinh's 1914 translation, English edition).

Pancham Sinh's 1914 translation reads: "Place the heels on either side of the seam of the Perineum, keeping the left heel on the left side and the right one on the right side, hold the feet firmly joined to one another with both the hands. This Bhadrasana is the destroyer of all the diseases."

The text adds that expert yogis also call this Gorakshasana, and that sitting in it helps get rid of fatigue, which is a nice, modest, believable claim as far as old yoga texts go.

• Gives a stable, grounded seated base for meditation
• Opens the hips and inner thighs over time with regular practice
• Traditionally associated with relieving fatigue
• Keeps the spine naturally upright without much strain once you're settled
• Works well as a gentler alternative to more demanding seats like Padmasana

• Sit on the floor, or a cushion, with your legs extended in front of you.
• Bend both knees and bring the soles of your feet together, heels drawing in toward the perineum.
• Hold your feet firmly together with both hands.
• Let your knees release out toward the floor, without forcing them down.
• Lengthen your spine and relax your shoulders.
• Breathe naturally and settle in before starting meditation or pranayama.
• To release, let go of your feet, extend your legs forward, and shake them out gently.

• Sit on a cushion to tilt the hips forward and ease the stretch
• Support each knee with a block or cushion if they hover far from the floor
• Keep the heels a little further from the body if bringing them in close is too intense right away

• Pressing the knees down forcefully instead of letting them release gradually
• Rounding the lower back instead of maintaining its natural curve
• Pulling the heels in too close too soon

• Groin or inner thigh injuries
• Knee injuries, since the externally rotated knees can aggravate certain conditions
• Sharp pain, as opposed to a mild inner thigh stretch, while seated

As always, a dull stretch is normal and expected. Sharp or pinching pain is your body asking you to modify or stop.

• Bhadrasana. Heels held together, a stable hip-opening meditation seat. Difficulty: beginner to intermediate.
• Simhasana. Expressive seated pose with an open mouth and strong exhale. Difficulty: beginner.
• Siddhasana. Precise heel placement, the text's top seat for pranayama. Difficulty: intermediate.
• Padmasana. Full lotus, feet on top of the opposite thighs. Difficulty: advanced.

Bhadrasana lives up to its name. It's a gracious, stable seat that opens the hips without demanding the extremes Padmasana does, which makes it a solid long term option for a lot of people's sitting practice.

1. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika — Svatmarama; trans. Pancham Sinh, The Panini Office (Sacred Books of the Hindus, vol. XV) (1914) · Link

   Public domain. Classical c. 15th-century Sanskrit hatha yoga text; this early-20th-century English translation is the standard public-domain edition consulted for these entries.