This is the latest article in our yoga central series and today we will be looking at a pose known as Child Pose or Balasana. We will look at how to properly carry out the pose, the benefits you can get from it and anything that you need to consider before beginning. Please read the entire article before trying the pose.
How to Carry Out the Pose
We have put together instructions on how to carry out the pose correctly however there are also a number of modifications that can be done to make the pose easier as well as deeper. These modifications will be found lower in the article.
1. Start the pose by kneeling on the floor. Make sure your feet are straight and your big toes are touching each other. Sit on your heels and ensure your knees are hip width apart. Remember to sit upwards and keep the back straight.
2. Breath in and expand your chest. As you exhale lean forwards and lay your chest on your legs. Broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip points toward the navel, so that they nestle down onto the inner thighs. Lengthen your back as much as possible by pulling your tailbone away from your pelvis and lengthening the back of the skull away from the neck.
3. Gently place your on the floor palms up by your feet and allow your shoulders to drop towards the floor. This action will allow the shoulder blades to release and sit wide across the back.
4. Child pose is designed for resting and so you should remain in this position for anything from 30 seconds to a few minutes. Concentrate on your breath and use it to release tension from you upper back and shoulders and increase the feeling of relaxation.
Tips and Precautions
There are a number of adaptations to this pose. For example if you want to make it more restful you can take a couple of folded blankets then lean forward resting on the blankets. You should turn your head to the right and rest it on the blankets and then gently hug the blankets. This variation will give a great support to your stomach and upper torso allowing you to fully relax.
In order to deepen the pose you can stretch your hands out in front of you resting them on the floor and pulling your shoulders back. This will allow you to increase the action in the upper back and shoulders.
This pose is good for most people however there are some times where you should not carry out this pose. If you are suffering from diarrhoea or have a knee injury then you should not practise child pose. In addition if you are pregnant this pose is contraindicated.
Benefits and Focus
This pose is a very restful pose and can help to bring about a full feeling of relaxation. As a result it can be helpful for conditions like stress, fatigue and also insomnia. It is also a relatively simple pose to carry out and so can be one people can incorporate into everyday life. Other benefits include the fact that it stretches the hips, thighs and ankles in order to increase flexibility. This pose will also help to relieve back and shoulder tension, particularly when done in a supported way which can have the added benefit of helping with headaches as many are caused by tension in the upper back.
