Procedure of Ardha Baddah Padmottasana and Breathing

1. Stand in Tadasana (mountain pose)
2. Inhale bringing right leg up, placing right foot on the top of the left thigh
3. Exhale reaching right arm down to the ground, while left arm is brought around back to hold on to the right in lotus pose. Try to keep left leg straightened, but if you can not, bend the left knee to release some pressure.
4. Stay in posture for five deep breaths (inhales and exhales).
5. Inhale looking half way up to lengthen the spine
6. Exhale out of posture by releasing left hand from right foot, lowering right foot, taking right hand off of ground and standing back in Tadasana.
7. Repeat all steps performing pose on left side by replacing all right actions with left actions and left actions with right actions

A variation on this pose to modify it to make it easier could be to not bring left hand around back to hold right foot up, but just place both right and left hands on the ground.

Note: Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana is one of the postures that is included in the primary series of Ashtanga Yoga, which is considered the hardest series because it is the first series a person practicing yoga would learn, and everything is hard when you are first learning something. And when in this posture one should remember is to keep the gaze on one subject, and always keeping the eyes open to improve balance in the pose. Also one should remember bend the knees to get into the posture, then straighten the leg when finally in the pose.