Child’s pose overview
Child’s pose is a significant relaxation yoga pose that gives muscular and neurological relaxation to the various body parts, muscles, and nerves. It is included in the yoga practice module and protocol to provide the practitioners with adequate rest. Its therapeutic benefits will increase manifolds if it gets mastery over its variations. Tranquillity, calmness, soothing and dissolving even the most overwhelming anger are some of the beautiful health benefits of balasana. However, to get the maximum benefits of this excellent yoga pose, one should know how it should be practised correctly.
How To Do Child’s Pose in Yoga
- Place a blanket or thin rug on the floor.
- Sit in Vajrasana.
- Place the hands on the knees and comfortably straighten the back.
- Relax the whole body.
- Close your eyes.
- Inhale and, at the same time, slowly raise the arms, keeping them straight.
- The inhalation and movement should be slow.
- At the end of inhalation, the arms should be vertically above the head; those who wish can move their arms a little further behind the head, accentuating the stretch of the chest.
- Slowly exhale and bend forwards. The arms, trunk and head should remain in one line.
- At the end of exhalation, the forehead and arms should rest on the floor before the knees.
Child’s pose variation 1
- Take the same starting position as the primary technique – vajrasana.
- Hold the arms behind the back and clasp the right wrist with the left hand.
- Relax the whole body and close your eyes.
- Exhale and slowly bend forward until the forehead touches or is near the ground.
- Repeat the same procedure as already described for the final position of the basic technique.
- After some time, slowly raise the trunk while inhaling and return to the starting position.
Child’s pose variation 2
- This variation is very much the same as variation 1.
- Instead of holding the arms behind the back, the fists are placed in front of the soft portion of the abdomen just below the navel.
- The knuckles point towards and touch each other.
- One now bends forward and performs the same technique described for variation 1.
Child’s pose variation 3
- Sit in Vajrasana.
- Grasp the lower part of the calves just above the ankles with your hands.
- Bend forward and place the crown of your head on the floor in front of your knees.
- Your head should rest on a folded blanket.
- Raise your buttocks until the thighs are as vertical as is comfortable.
- Breathe normally with awareness.
- This is the final pose.
- Remain in this position for a comfortable length of time.
Benefits
- Good for stiff backs.
- Stress buster
- Relief anger
- One of the best yoga poses to induce sleep
