Child’s Pose

Samantha Gilman

Child’s Pose or Balasana is a wonderful resting pose that feels very nurturing and calming.

• Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips.

• Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs.  Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of your skull away from the back of your neck.

• Lay your hands on the floor alongside your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. Feel how the weight of the front shoulders pulls the shoulder blades wide across your back.  You can also lay your arms out in front of you with your palms down.  This is a nice stretch on the back and shoulders.

• Stay in the pose from 1 to 3 minutes taking deep full breaths. To come up, first lengthen the front torso, and then with an inhalation lift from the tailbone as it presses down and into the pelvis.  Leave your head and neck to come up last.

Benefits:

Gently stretches the hips, thighs, and ankles.
Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and fatigue.
Opens up the low back.