How to do: Child’s Pose

Child’s Pose  (The Sanskrit name is Balasana)

How to do it

You can come into Child’s Pose from all fours or kneeling. Gently sit back onto your heels with the tops of your feet flat on the floor and your knees together, then let your belly and chest round forward over your thighs. Slowly let your forehead rest towards the floor, you can either let your arms rest alongside the body, back of the hands on the floor and your shoulders will slide away from each other creating space in your upper back, or you can extend your arms forward along the floor with your palms face down. This is a resting pose so try to make sure that you are fully relaxed. Close your eyes and relax the muscles in your face and listen to your soft, long smooth inhales and exhales. Notice how your breath moves into the back of the body when your chest is

Gently sit back onto your heels with the tops of your feet flat on the floor and your knees together, then let your belly and chest round forward over your thighs. Slowly let your forehead rest towards the floor, you can either let your arms rest alongside the body, back of the hands on the floor and your shoulders will slide away from each other creating space in your upper back, or you can extend your arms forward along the floor with your palms face down. This is a resting pose so try to make sure that you are fully relaxed. Close your eyes and relax the muscles in your face and listen to your soft, long smooth inhales and exhales. Notice how your breath moves into the back of the body when your chest is against your knees.

Coming into the pose

You would come into Child’s Pose from a kneeling or all fours position, perhaps after Downward Dog.

Coming out of the pose

To come out of Child’s Pose place your hands on the floor either under your shoulders, to press up into all fours, or, to press up into Downward Dog extend your arms forwards and press into your hands and lift your hips.

Other tips?

If Child’s Pose as described above is too intense a stretch forward for you, then place your forehead down onto a block or rolled blanket and gently release. And if your hips don’t reach your heels when you’re sitting back you can place a rolled blanket between your thighs and your calves. You can also do this with a soft blanket under the tops of your feet. The main thing is that you must make sure you’re really comfortable! Everyone should love Child’s Pose! Only if you’re really comfortable can you properly relax and rest in the Pose, so make all the adjustments you need.

If on the other hand you would like to stretch out a little further you can extend your arms forward and on a soft inhale slowly creep your fingers forward a cm or two, and feel a little stretch in the spine then relax your elbows to the floor and check your shoulders have released down so you’re fully relaxed again.

What is it good for?

Child’s Pose is a wonderful rest pose usually after some energising standing poses. It’s a chance for you to notice your breath pattern return to long, smooth inhales and exhales in full relaxation. It is great for turning your awareness inward as you will have your eyes closed. Physically it stretches out the back of the body and is extremely cooling and calming. Bliss!

When should you be cautious or not do it?

You should avoid Child’s Pose if you have any knee or hip injuries/replacements or any foot or ankle sensitivities. Also, avoid doing Child’s Pose as above if you are pregnant – do a variation but with your knees apart to create space under your belly.

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