If I had to pick a favorite posture—it’s impossible tbh... but if I had to it would be Balasana, Child’s Pose. In fact, if you practiced next to me in class this morning you may have seen me in Child’s Pose instead of Down Dog because my shoulders were feeling quite smoked after surf yesterday. 😅
This posture is grounding, centering and comforting. I use it before practice, during, after or simply as a stand-alone posture anytime I need a release for my low back, neck, shoulders.
It feels amazing after a long day of standing on my feet or after a run.
Balasana can be a very calming posture and it has helped me many times find anxiety relief. It helps me turn my attention inward, an opportunity to let go of distraction, slow down my thoughts, and be present in my body and with my breath.
Even just a couple deep breaths in child’s pose can help you relax and release tension from the body. Your closeness to the earth allows you to enjoy the benefits of grounding, or drawing neutralizing energies from the Earth, especially if you make direct contact with the ground.
Practice Tips of the Week
👉🏼Be mindful of your knees! No need to force your knees into full flexion if it is painful. Use blocks and pillows to raise and support your hips and/or your head as high as you need to make this posture feel good. (It still may not and that’s okay.) Yoga can be for everyone but not every pose is for everyone.
👉🏼Check out some variations below. For more of a shoulder stretch, place your elbows up on blocks. For more of a triceps and lats stretch, bend your elbows and bring your palms to touch behind your head.
👉🏼Try staying in child’s pose for 5-10 slow breaths (or longer) and drop a comment below on how you feel after!
My favorite posture too! I’d never done traditional child’s pose before your class. It’s always nice to have more variations.