Child’s Pose: The Resting Stretch For the Mind and Body

Child’s Pose is a forward-bending restorative pose. It stretches the thighs and ankles. Child’s Pose also calms the sympathetic nervous system and relieves stress and fatigue.

This resting pose gets its name from the Sanskrit words Shishu (sh-i-sh-u-sa-na) or Balasana (ba-LAH-sa-na). Shishu, or Bala, means child, and asana means pose.

When you practice Child’s Pose on a regular basis, you can expect to enjoy these benefits.

• Provides deep relaxation for the back
• Relieves constipation
• Calms the nervous system
• Stretches the thighs and ankles

• Serious injuries involving the back muscles 
• Knee injury
• Pregnancy
• Recent or current diarrhea
• Currently experiencing neck pain
• Shoulder injury

On the one hand, there isn’t a true preparatory pose for Child’s Pose, given that it is a gentle stretch following other more difficult poses. On the other hand, it is good to incorporate a general warm-up before this resting pose. You can also do backward bend poses prior to the Child’s Pose. This way, the Child’s Pose becomes a counter pose. But if you are creating a yoga sequence for yourself, consider these poses prior to practicing Child’s Pose.

• Cat Cow Pose
• Downward-Facing Dog

To Modify:

• Keep your knees wider for added comfort
• Use a yoga block or stacked fists under your forehead to help keep the neck relaxed
• Extend your arms in front of you with elbows resting on the ground for a deeper stretch
• If you’re still working on the flexibility to keep your forehead on the ground and your sit bones on your heels, use a folded blanket under your buttocks.
• If you’re still working on the flexibility to keep your forehead on the ground and your sit bones on your heels, use a folded blanket under your buttocks.

• Corpse Pose 

If you want to get the most out of your yoga practice, add Sudarshan Kriya Yoga, also known as SKY Breath Meditation. Breathing, meditation, and yoga, when practiced regularly, supercharge the life benefits that yoga offers.

SKY practitioners report:

• Greater mental focus
• Healthier blood pressure
• Enhanced deep sleep
• Increased joy and optimism
• Decreased stress, anxiety, and depression