child's pose (balasana)

Who doesn't love child's pose?! This beginner yoga pose, also known as balanasa, is one of the most restorative and stress reducing poses and is simple as can be. The name is derived from the Sanskrit words "bala," meaning child, and "asana," meaning pose. This gentle stretch focuses on relieving stress in the back, shoulders, neck and hips. Kneel on your mat, (mine is a YogaRat mat) touching your big toes together and separating your knees a little wider than your hips. Take the deepest breath you have all day, and exhale as you lay your torso between your thighs, stretching your arms out in front of you. This is the arms extended variation of child's pose. If your shoulders are requesting a resting position, the main variation is with your arms relaxed along the side of your legs, palms up. Balasana is a resting pose that can occur anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes. Whenever I have a rough day, I like to practice balasana for about 3 minutes, propagating in me a sense of physical, mental and emotional relief. This pose is almost as relaxing as savasana (simply laying down on your back)! 


namaste