Butterfly Yoga Pose
Skip the guesswork: Butterfly Yoga Pose leans on pure bodyweight leverage for strength you can feel outside the gym.
How to do Butterfly Yoga Pose
- Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.
- Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together, allowing your knees to fall out to the sides.
- Hold onto your ankles or feet with your hands.
- Sit up tall and lengthen your spine.
- Gently press your knees down towards the floor, feeling a stretch in your inner thighs.
- Hold this position for a few breaths.
- To release, slowly bring your knees back up and extend your legs.
Butterfly Yoga Pose Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
5 sets of 4-6 reps at a leverage you can only just control, resting 3 minutes. Change leverage or elevation before you add load.
Hypertrophy
4-5 sets of 15-20 reps with 45-60 seconds of rest. Hold the end position for a beat once reps come easily.
Endurance
4 sets of 40 seconds of unbroken work with 30 seconds of rest. Add reps first, then slow the lowering phase.
Common Butterfly Yoga Pose Mistakes
Shortening the range as soon as the set gets hard
End the set on the last full-range rep instead of grinding out halves.
Feeling the movement everywhere except the muscle it trains
Lighten the load and rebuild the position until the target muscle burns.
Cutting range to keep the load climbing
Protect the full range first; the load can wait a session.
Easier and Harder Than Butterfly Yoga Pose
Swap Butterfly Yoga Pose For
Butterfly Yoga Pose — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Butterfly Yoga Pose?
Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you. Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together, allowing your knees to fall out to the sides. Hold onto your ankles or feet with your hands. Use your bodyweight only and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Butterfly Yoga Pose work?
The Butterfly Yoga Pose primarily targets the adductors. It is classified as a legs exercise and is performed with your bodyweight only.
How many sets and reps of the Butterfly Yoga Pose should I do?
For muscle growth: 4-5 sets of 15-20 reps with 45-60 seconds of rest. Hold the end position for a beat once reps come easily. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Butterfly Yoga Pose good for beginners?
Not usually. The Butterfly Yoga Pose is an advanced movement that assumes existing strength and joint control. Build up through easier legs progressions first, then add this once the basics feel comfortable.
What can I do instead of the Butterfly Yoga Pose?
Try the Cable Hip Adduction, Lever Seated Hip Adduction or the Assisted Side Lying Adductor Stretch. Each trains the adductors with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
