Executing Child’s pose is easy, but for faster interpretation, we have divided this practice into four essential parts. Take a look below:
Part 1 - Preparatory Poses for Balasana
Before practicing Child’s pose for a long duration it’s wise to activate your shoulders, back, knees, and core muscles. Here are a few poses that can help.
1. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) - Get into Staff position by keeping your legs straight and stretched out in front of you. Make sure your toes are pointing upward and your spine is straight. Inhale, raise both arms overhead and stretch up for a few seconds.
Exhale, and fold forward from your glutes so that your chin appears to move down toward your toes. Hold your feet with your hands and rest your forehead on your knees. Hold this pose for a few minutes by letting your lower back, shoulders, spine and hamstrings activate.
2. Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose) - First, sit straight in Sukhasana for a few deep breaths. Now, stretch out your legs and slowly bend your legs one by one to come to a kneeling position.
Rest your sit bones between your heels, adjust your feet to be close to your bottom, rest thyoure palms over your knee caps, and concentrate on your breathing. Sustain this position for 30 to 90 seconds until you feel stimulation in your pelvic floor, leg joints, and calf muscles.
Part 2: Step-by-Step Instructions to Perform Balasana
The following are steps to practice Balasana or Child’s pose:
Step 1- Start from a kneeling position. Sit on your heels and move into a table-top stance.
Step 2- Inhale deep and exhale slowly as you gently lower your hips back onto your heels. Knees can be together, or if you're feeling more flexible, spread your knees apart and bring your chest close to the ground.
Step 3- Relax your forehead on the floor. Your arms can be extended overhead with your palms on the floor, or you can keep your arms at the sides of your body with both palms facing the ceiling.
Step 4- Hold this pose here until it feels comfortable. Finally, release the pose by coming back to the kneeling position.
Breath Awareness:
Inhale: When seated in the kneeling position or while transitioning to the table-top pose.
Exhale: When the glutes are lowing backward onto your heels.
Inhale & Exhale: While holding the position for prolonged durations.
Performance Duration for Beginners: Hold Balasana for 3 to 5 minutes.
Performance Duration for Advanced: Hold Balasana until it feels comfortable.
Part 3: Things to Keep in Mind
Read the following posture cues to for effective results from your Child’s pose practice:
Do not stress your neck: Avoid pressing your neck into the mat while resting your forehead on the mat, because this can cause severe neck injuries.
your neck should not apply any force and should be kept in a neutral position throughout the practice.
Do not overstretch your spine & shoulder: If you’re feeling pain in your shoulders and spine after performing Balasana, this can be due to unnecessary flexion of the shoulders and spine while extending your arms forward.
Be conscious of the intensity of your stretch, and avoid this by keeping your arms alongside your body.
Part 4: Relaxing Poses After Balasana
Child’s pose is itself a comfortable, relaxing yoga position, but if you still want to deepen your relaxation practice or release any residual muscle tension, then try the following stretches:
1. Uttana Shishosana (Puppy Pose): This pose is very similar to Child's pose, but where Child's pose focuses on relaxing the spine and lower back, this is a more effective stretch for loosening your shoulders and upper back.
Start by sitting in Thunderbolt pose. Inhale, lengthen your spine to bring both arms overhead. Now, bend forward, exhale, and relax your body for a few seconds.
Next, inhale and move your body forward, so your glutes are pointing up in the air. Here, your chest must be pressing into the mat, and your chin must be resting on the mat. Keep on breathing and hold this position for 30 to 90 seconds.
2. Shavasana (Corpse Pose): You should always end your yoga class with Shavasana, because practicing this alleviates any left over tension in your spine and back muscles.
Start by lying on your back. Space your feet as wide apart as your mat and with your palms facing the ceiling. Close your eyes, inhale deeply with your nose and gently breathe out from your mouth.
Feel each muscle in your body. Repeat this process by focusing on the breath until your whole body feels comfortable.
