Child’s Pose

There are several different kinds of yoga practices, each relying on foundational postures and movements to positively impact the mind and body.

One of the foundational postures, known as child’s pose, revolves around the idea that inaction (the act of doing nothing) can be just as restorative and challenging as any fast-moving posture.

But in truth, you’re not actually doing nothing in child’s pose. You’re bringing awareness to your physical body, making time for deep breathing and recovery as you get a full-body stretch.

Yoga instructor Valerie Williams, RYT 200, explains why child’s pose is such an important posture for any yoga practice and how to do it on your own at home.

What is child’s pose?

Child’s pose is a simple, restorative full-body stretch. Also known as balasana or shishuasana in Sanskrit, its origins stem from traditional yoga practices in ancient India.

In Western yoga classes, child’s pose is often used at the beginning or end of a yoga session or in between more complicated postures. A yoga teacher might have students do the child’s pose after a particularly longer hold or after a series of fast-moving postures (vinyasa) as a form of rest, recovery and contemplation.

Benefits of doing child’s pose

While child’s pose isn’t the most active exercise, it’s beneficial for both your mind and body in a few different ways:

• Restorative benefits. As part of a restorative yoga practice, child’s pose activates your parasympathetic nervous system, helping to manage stress, provide chronic pain relief and improve sleep function.
• Heart health. A 2017 study of 100 medical students showed improvement in lower blood pressure and resting heart rates after participants practiced balasana for five minutes every day for 90 days.
• Relieving muscle tension. This posture provides a full-body stretch, relieving pressure in some of the tightest areas of your body, including your lower back, pelvis, thighs, hips, ankles, shoulders and spine.
• Mind-body connection. Child’s pose helps build awareness (much like a body scan meditation). While relying on deep breathing techniques, it can help calm anxiety, overthinking, self-doubt and intrusive thoughts as part of a meditative practice.
• Stimulating digestion. Because of the light compression that occurs when your stomach is folded over into your thighs, it can also help stimulate the movement of your digestive system.

“People tend to do a lot of sitting, and we bear a lot of weight on our lower back,” notes Williams. “Child’s pose takes the pressure off your lower back and allows it to stretch and lengthen.”

How to do child’s pose

Child’s pose is meant to be a simple, relaxing stretch, which can be done by following these steps:

1. Start in a kneeling position with the tops of your feet pressed into your yoga mat or the floor.
2. Touch your big toes together while keeping your knees hip-width apart. For a deeper stretch, you may widen your knees as much as you feel comfortable.
3. Once you’re in this position, slowly drop your hips back toward your feet, either sitting on your feet or getting as close to them as you feel comfortable.
4. As you exhale, slowly bend forward to bring your forehead toward the floor.
5. As you allow your chest and belly to drop toward your thighs and the yoga mat, try not to lift your buttocks away from your heels and keep your neck relaxed.
6. For a softer stretch, relax your arms at your sides, keeping your palms upward and reaching toward your heels.
7. For a deeper shoulder and upper body stretch, extend your arms out in front of you with your palms facing downward.
8. Taking long, slow breaths, hold this position for as long as you feel comfortable, and allow your body to relax.
9. When you’re done, slowly return to a seated position.

“We’re completely letting go in this pose,” says Williams. “We’re not holding any muscles in too tight and we’re trying to allow ourselves to relax and soften into the pose.”

Child’s pose variations

If doing this pose on the floor is difficult, you can do a seated variation of child’s pose or a standing variation beside a firm surface.

Seated child’s pose

1. Start by sitting on a firm chair, couch or the edge of your bed with your feet planted flat on the floor and your knees over your ankles.
2. Keeping your neck relaxed, allow your chest and belly to slowly fold forward toward your thighs until you feel the stretch in your middle and upper back and your shoulders.
3. For a deeper stretch, reach your hands toward your feet or let them dangle toward the floor in front of you.
4. Hold this stretch for as long as you’re comfortable before slowly returning to an upright position.

Standing child’s pose

1. Start by placing both of your hands on a firm countertop, desk or tabletop.
2. Keeping your arms straight at your elbows, step your feet backward, keeping your feet about hip-width apart.
3. Hinge at your hips, moving your backside back and your head forward so you’re looking straight at the ground. Keep your back flat so there’s a long straight line from your hands to your tailbone.
4. Allow your neck to relax and hold this stretch for five to 10 seconds before slowly returning to an upright position.

Tips on what to focus on and what to avoid while in child’s pose

For as simple as child’s pose is, there are some things you want to avoid and strategies you want to embrace to help make the most out of the exercise while preventing injury.

• Never tuck your chin. Instead, keep your head and neck relaxed or supported with the help of a yoga block or pillow.
• Use blankets or pillows for extra support for your knees and chest.
• Focus on deep breathing. If you get lightheaded or find it difficult to breathe, return to normal breathing and slowly return to a sitting position.
• Don’t push through any pain.

“If you are having pain, you shouldn’t ignore it,” advises Williams. “If you experience pain, try to correct it by adding a prop.”

Making child’s pose part of your yoga flow

As with any exercise or stretch, consistency is key. The more you work child’s pose into your yoga practice, the more rewarding it can become as you strengthen your flexibility and mind-body connection. It might even be something you’ll want to practice first thing in the morning or the evening right before bed as a means of relaxation and restoration.

“Child’s pose is often underrated because it doesn’t seem like you’re doing much, but you’re actually having a huge full-body stretch,” reaffirms Williams. “It’s one of the most beneficial and accessible yoga poses for all ages and abilities.”