Ah! Music to my ears…I’ll never forget the first time I heard the yoga instructor state, “You can always rest in Child’s pose”. What? Rest during Yoga? Listening to your body is one of the most important parts of a yoga practice. The physical practice of Yoga is not “mind over matter” but more of a holistic process --- synchronizing your body and breath with your mind and spirit. Child’s pose or Balasana in Sanskrit is a position to come to at any time during your practice to catch your breath, slow down, assess, and rest. It is also a great pose to help clear distractions.
Here are a few benefits of Child’s Pose:
· Calms the mind and body
· Encourages strong and steady breathing
· Helps alleviate stress and anxiety
· Lengthens and stretches the spine
· Gently stretches the hips, thighs and ankles
· Helps to relieve lower back pain
· Normalizes circulation throughout the body
· Increases blood circulation to your head which reduces headaches
· Massages the internal organs, aiding in digestion
How to do Child’s Pose:
· Begin in an all fours position on the hands and knees (tabletop) with the tops of the feet down.
· Release hips towards the heels, resting the upper body and head down towards the mat.
· Knees can be wide –allowing the torso and chest towards the floor (or ) keep the knees together to provide support for the upper body and back.
· Arms can be extended over the head-reaching towards the top of the mat (extended child’s pose) or along side the body reaching back towards the heels (resting child’s pose).