Beginner

Seated Butterfly Stretch

The butterfly, or bound-angle pose, targets the adductors and groin with a gentle, controlled stretch. Pressing the soles together and letting the knees fall outward opens the inner thighs and hips. It is a friendly beginner stretch and a good counter to squatting and side-to-side sports.

Equipment
Body Weight
Body part
Thighs
Type
Stretching, Yoga
Muscles worked
Target
Adductor Longus, Adductor Magnus
Secondary
Sartorius

How to do it

  1. 1

    Sit tall on the floor and bring the soles of your feet together in front of you.

  2. 2

    Let your knees relax open toward the floor.

  3. 3

    Hold your ankles or feet and lengthen your spine upward.

  4. 4

    Gently press your knees down with your elbows, or hinge slightly forward from the hips to deepen it.

  5. 5

    Hold for 30 to 45 seconds, breathing into the stretch.

Tips

  • Sit on a cushion to tilt the pelvis forward and sit up taller.
  • Move the feet farther from your body for a lighter stretch, closer in for a deeper one.
  • Hinge from the hips rather than rounding the upper back when leaning forward.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The knees get pushed down hard with the hands, and the adductors answer by tightening; light, steady pressure held longer gets much further.
  • The soles slide apart until only the big toes touch, which lets the thighs rotate inward and takes tension off the inner thighs.
  • Bouncing the knees up and down moves the hips but lengthens nothing; a still hold is what changes how far they open.
  • Pain shows up on the inside of the knees instead of the groin, which usually means the feet are pulled in too close and the shins are being used as levers.

Frequently asked

How long should you hold the seated butterfly stretch?
Two rounds of 30 to 45 seconds, and this is one of the few stretches worth holding while you do something else, so a few minutes in front of a screen is time well spent. Doing it most days moves the hips along faster than one hard session a week, and the knees should drop lower on their own rather than being pressed.
How do I make the seated butterfly stretch easier or harder?
To make it easier, sit with your back against a wall and slide the heels further from your body, which lightens the angle at the hips. To make it harder, hinge forward from the hips with a long spine and walk the hands out in front, holding the fold instead of the upright position.
What is the seated butterfly stretch good for?
It opens the adductors and takes the hips into external rotation, which is useful after squatting, skating or any sport with a lot of side-to-side movement, and it is easy enough for a first stretching session. It is a poor choice with a recent groin strain, where end-range holds are not what a healing muscle needs. Stretching alone also will not make a weak groin resilient; that takes adductor strength work alongside it.

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