Hips and lower back

Half Butterfly

A one-sided seated forward fold that targets the hamstring and posterior hip of your extended leg, providing focused posterior chain release with a stable, supported base.

How to do it

1. 1

   Sit with one leg straight out in front

   The straight leg is the one you will work with. Keep a soft bend at that knee rather than locking it.

2. 2

   Bend the other knee and open it to the side

   Rest the sole of that foot against the inside of the straight leg. That bent leg is what gives you a wide, steady base to fold from.

3. 3

   Sit up on a folded blanket if your back rounds

   Raising the hips lets the pelvis tip forward, so the fold comes from your hips rather than from rounding your back.

4. 4

   Fold gently towards the straight leg

   Go only as far as the back of that leg allows. Rest your torso onto a bolster, or lay a bolster over the leg, and use a strap around the foot so you are not reaching.

5. 5

   Stay two to three minutes, then change sides

   Come up slowly and stretch the bent leg out for a moment before swapping.

What to watch for

The sensation belongs along the back of the straight leg, spread out, not sharp behind the knee. Keep that knee softly bent and rest onto a bolster rather than reaching for the foot with a rounded back.

Ways to adjust it

• Bolster over extended leg
• Strap
• Blanket under pelvis
• Bolster under torso

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

• Supported Forward Fold: Chair

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.