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Childs
balasana
1
Highlights
Relaxation and Stress Relief: Child's Pose is often considered a resting and grounding posture. It allows you to release tension and stress, calming the mind and promoting relaxation. It can be used as a restorative pose during a yoga practice or as a soothing posture to find comfort and quiet the mind.
Gentle Stretch for the Spine: Child's Pose provides a gentle stretch for the spine, especially the lower back. By folding forward and resting your torso on your thighs, you lengthen and decompress the spine, relieving any accumulated tension or discomfort in the back.
Hip Opening: The position of Child's Pose helps to open the hips and stretch the muscles of the hips and buttocks. As you sit back on your heels and let your knees fall open, you create space and release tightness in the inner thighs.
Grounding and Centering: Child's Pose allows you to connect with the earth, feeling a sense of grounding and stability. It can be used as a posture to center yourself, find stillness, and turn your attention inward, creating a sense of peace and tranquility.
Gentle Stretch for the Shoulders and Neck: In Extended Child’s Pose, your arms extend forward and your forehead rests on the mat, providing a gentle stretch for the shoulders.
Child's Pose is a versatile posture that can be used at any point during a yoga practice or as a standalone pose for relaxation and rejuvenation. To the majority of people, it offers a nurturing and comforting experience, allowing you to find a sense of calm and restoration in both the body and mind.
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Cautions
Knee or ankle injuries: If you have a recent or chronic knee or ankle injury, it's important to be cautious in Child's Pose. The pose involves kneeling and placing pressure on the knees and ankles, which can potentially aggravate these areas. If necessary, you can modify the pose by using props such as blankets or bolsters to provide support under the knees or ankles, or by widening the knees to reduce strain on the joints.
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction: Individuals with sacroiliac joint dysfunction or instability may find certain variations of Child's Pose uncomfortable or exacerbating. It's important to listen to your body and modify the pose as needed, such as using props for support or reducing the depth of the forward fold.
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Preparation
While Child's Pose is generally a gentle and accessible pose that can be practiced without specific preparatory poses, there are a few postures that can help prepare the body and create a more comfortable experience in Child's.
Cat-Cow Pose (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana): From Tabletop Pose, move into a flowing sequence of Cat-Cow Pose. Inhale, arch your back, lift your chest, and gaze forward (Cow Pose). Exhale, round your spine, tuck your chin, and draw your belly in (Cat Pose). This sequence helps to release tension in the spine and gently stretch the back.
Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana): From Tabletop Pose, walk your hands forward and lower your chest and forehead towards the mat, while keeping your hips high. This pose provides a deeper stretch for the shoulders and lengthens the spine, preparing you for the forward fold of Child's Pose.
Thread the Needle Pose (Parsva Balasana): Begin in Tabletop Pose. Reach your right arm under your left arm, threading it between your left arm and left knee. Lower your right shoulder and temple to the mat, allowing your spine to twist gently. Repeat on the other side. This pose helps to release tension in the upper back, shoulders, and neck.
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Cue In
1 - Begin in a kneeling position, gently lowering your hips back towards your heels
2 - Fold forward, and rest your forehead on the mat,
3 - Arms extended, relaxed by your sides or used as a pillow for the head.
“Press your hips back towards your heels.”
“As you fold forward, imagine lengthening your spine from your tailbone to the crown of your head, creating space between each vertebra.”
“Option to actively press your palms into the mat to create space in the shoulders or push yourself back toward your heels.”
“Or if arms are resting by the sides, option to release any tension in your shoulders by allowing them to relax and melt towards the mat and let go of any gripping or tightness.”
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Adjustments
Gentle Back Release: Place your hands lightly on the practitioner's lower back, either side of their spine, and apply gentle pressure downward. This assists in releasing tension and encourages a deeper relaxation.
Shoulder and Neck Release: Place your hands on the practitioner's shoulders and gently apply backward pressure scooping them away from their ears, helping them release tension and create more space.
Remember, hands-on assists should be offered with sensitivity and respect, and it's essential to communicate and adapt the assistance to suit the practitioner's individual needs and preferences.
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Counter Poses
Any back bend to counter the forward flexion of the spine. Any pose that extends the knees or hips will also feel great and dorsi flex the feet. Here are some examples :
Cow Pose (Bitilasana): From a tabletop position, inhale and lift your chest and tailbone, arching your back and lifting your gaze. This pose stretches the front body.
Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana): From a tabletop position, lift your hips up and back, creating an inverted V shape with your body. Press your hands into the mat and lengthen your spine. Downward-Facing Dog extends the knees and dorsi flexes the feet which are the opposite actions to child’s pose so will feel fab after.
Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana): Lie on your belly with your forearms resting on the mat, elbows under your shoulders. Lift your chest and lengthen your spine, keeping your pelvis grounded. These help to gently stretch the hip flexors, abdominal muscles, open the chest, and strengthen the back muscles.
Variations
"See the variations,
simple to complex"
1 Stay Upright Bolster : Those that don't like folding can stay upright. Extra comfortable on a bolster.
2 Support Knees : Anyone having trouble flexing the knees can partially flex them instead of fully and use a blanket or bolster wedging in between the thighs and calfs.
3 Bolster Chest : This can be super relaxing. Less pressure on head and less inverted for those that are staying away from having their head below their heart.
4 Support Ankles : Use blanket or something to wedge under foot to support the front of the ankle or those with bony feet.
5 Widen Knees or Pads for knees : Use a blanket to make it softer for the knees. Instead of keeping your knees together, separate your knees wider apart while keeping your big toes touching. This variation allows for a greater stretch in the inner thighs.
6 Frog : For a deeper groin and inner thigh stretch, separate feet with pelvis in-between the knees. Pad up knees as will likely be off the mat and a bolster can also support the torso.
7 Stay Upright : Same as #1 but without bolster.
8 Arms Behind : Helps to broaden the upper back, restful for the shoulders.
9 Head support : Use your arms as a pillow for the head. Can help alleviate pressure on the head, also the arm position can be quite relaxing.
10 Extended Childs : Reaching the arms forward to stretch shoulders, under arm pits and sides. The hands can also be used to press you back towards the heals or create traction by gripping the floor and pulling shoulders back.
11 Side Stretch: In this variation, you can walk your hands over to one side, lengthening one side of your body.
12 Thread the needle : Stretch the threaded arm and outer shoulder. This pose also adds a gentle twist stretching the sides.
13 Prayer Hands : Gives a deeper stretch to shoulders.
14 Elevated Prayer : Using blocks under upper arms, provides more space for deeper shoulder flexion.
15 Puppy Head Block : If melting towards the floor is too much for the upper back or shoulders, stay out of the pose a little, keep the spine long and rest the head on a block.
16 Puppy : Adds gentle compression to the upper back and a stretch for the shoulders and chest.
17 Puppy Neck Extended : Gives more space to melt further while stretching the front of the neck.
18 Puppy Arms Elevated : Using blocks under hands, provides more space for deeper shoulder flexion and spinal extension.
19 Puppy Thread the Needle : From puppy with hips elevated gives you more space to thread the arm and twist compared with the Child's Pose variation.
20 Puppy Thread : Reaching the other arm behind the back stretches the top shoulder and can also aid in a deeper twist.
21 Extended Leg Thread : Makes the pose more unstable recruiting more stabilising muscles. Also the extended leg is working to keep the knee from bending back down.
22 Alt Extended Leg Thread : Same as above but the other leg
22 Raised Leg : As above but more unstable again - more core and leg strength.
23 Foot Hold : Adds a stretch to the top arm as you kick the leg back into the hand. The kicking action also strengthens the thighs. More unstable again so more challenge to balance.
Reclining Child's Pose: Lie on your back and draw your knees into your chest. Wrap your arms around your legs and gently rock side to side, massaging your lower back and releasing tension. This variation offers a supine position with a similar comforting and grounding effect as the traditional Child's Pose.
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