In the sport of Hockey, the Butterfly Position is used by goalies to stop a puck. One assumes the basic stance, then opens their feet wider and sets themselves lower. Upon the approach of the puck, you drop both knees (and your stick) to the ice, keeping your hands and shoulders up, and attempting to cover the puck.

References:

  1. Webpage: Making Saves. The Hockey Phreak, 2000. (http://www.hockeyphreak.com/saves.html)


The butterfly position as it is known with regards to dancing involves facing your partner, with arms spread wide at shoulder level, and hands joined.

References:

  1. Webpage: Glossary of Dance Cue Terms. The Lloyd Shaw Foundation. (http://www.lloydshaw.org/terms.htm)


Dancers might not only stand but even stretch in the butterfly position, also used in yoga; seated upright, with the soles of the feet touching, and the feet close to the groin. The knees are then brought towards the floor. This stretch loosens the hip joints. In yoga this might be called the "full butterfly" (Poorna Titali Asan) while having one leg outstretched and the other pulled in toward the groin is the "half butterfly" (Ardha Titali Asan). In any case one gently uses the elbows to bounce the knee up and down.

References:

  1. Smart Stretching. Christine Dion, Dance Spirit Magazine. September, 2000. (http://www.dancespirit.com/backissues/sep00/smartstretch.shtml)
  2. Yoga Pregnancy First Trimester. Health & Yoga, 2000. (http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/pfirst.html)


The Maori activity of Poi (Maori for "ball", in which one twirls balls on strings, sometimes on fire) has a butterfly position which involves rotating the poi in opposite directions; the one in the right hand moves counterclockwise from your point of view. One swings the poi with equal timing, and slowly rotates their hands inward so that they begin crossing, ending when their palms face the sky. One hand stays on the bottom, and moves in front of the top hand, being pulled back when the poi approach their lowest point.

References:

  1. Webpage: History. Beaming Balls Ltd., 2001. (http://www.homeofpoi.com/history.htm)
  2. Webpage: #6 Butterfly. Beaming Balls Ltd., 2001. (http://www.homeofpoi.com/teach6.htm)


The butterfly position is the name given to a number of sexual positions.

  • The Kama Sutra says that the "Sky-soaring butterfly" is a simple female superior position in which the woman straddles the man's hips while facing him. The man allows his legs to fall open, bending them slightly at the knees, which should point his member more towards the G-spot.
  • I don't know where it originated, but there is also a butterfly position which is similar to the missionary position. However, the woman spreads her legs wide apart and then closes them as slowly as she can in order to flex her perivaginal musculature. It can also be practiced in the female superior position, again with the woman opening and closing her legs.

References:

  1. Webpage: The "butterfly" position. Consultation Élysa enr. (http://elysa.uqam.ca/dsexo/english/1997/qa0058-2430p.htm)


In speech articulation therapy the "butterfly position" is "essentially the position the tongue is in when you sustain the "i" sound in bin, fin, win, or the "ee" sound in me, knee, sea." . The wings of the butterfly are "the lateral margins of the tongue", which "are in contact with the teeth"1.

References:

  1. Bowen, C. (2004). Imagery and the butterfly position for lateral and palatal /s/ and/z/. Retrieved from http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/fsd-butterfly-position.htm on 200909140631.

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