Child’s Pose Relieves Stress, Anxiety, Tension and Fatigue

Child’s Pose or Balasana is an excellent pose to facilitate relaxation and it is extremely easy to practice. One of the key aspects of Child’s Pose is its calming effect. It is a great aid to relieving stress, anxiety, tension and fatigue. Child’s pose is also beneficial for strengthening and toning the muscles in the hips, thighs, ankles and spine. It is also useful in relieving back and neck pain.

Instructions:

There are two variations to Child’s Pose.  Start in a kneeling position on the floor, knees and feet together, sitting on your heels.

1.  Knees apart:

• Separate your knees about as wide as your hips. Exhale and bend forward, lay your torso down between your thighs and put your forehead on the floor.
• To increase the length of the torso, stretch your arms forward. Lift your buttocks just slightly away from your heels. Reach the arms longer while you draw the shoulder blades down the back. Then without moving the hands, sit the buttocks down on the heels again.

2.  Knees together:

• Keep your knees together and rest your torso on your thighs.
• Lay your arms on the floor alongside your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. Feel how the weight of the front shoulders pulls the shoulder blades wide across your back.

Balasana is a resting pose. Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. To come up, first lengthen the front torso, and then with an inhalation lift from the tailbone as it presses down and into the pelvis.