Child's Pose

About This Pose

Child's Pose is the most reliable reset in the practice. When things get hard, when the breath shortens, when you need a moment, this is where you go. It's also where you can start a practice if you need to arrive slowly, and where you can return between challenging poses to find your breath again. Come to hands and knees. Bring the big toes together, knees either together or wide. Sink the hips back toward the heels and let the torso fold forward. Arms can extend in front of you or rest alongside the body. The forehead comes to the mat or to stacked fists if the floor feels far away. The wide-knee variation opens the groin and allows the torso to rest between the thighs. The narrow-knee version gives more lower back release. Both are useful; experiment to find which one your body needs on a given day. Child's Pose gently decompresses the lumbar spine, releases the hips and thighs, and quiets the nervous system. The forehead on the mat has a grounding, almost cooling effect. The breath into the back body fills the space between the shoulder blades and helps the upper back let go. It can be held for thirty seconds or thirty minutes. During a restorative practice it becomes a five-minute pose. As a rest between more demanding poses it serves in thirty seconds. There is no performance here. Child's Pose is just rest.

How to Practice

1. 1

   Begin on hands and knees in tabletop position.

2. 2

   Bring the big toes together and separate the knees as wide as the mat — or keep them together for a deeper lower back stretch.

3. 3

   On an exhale, sink the hips back toward the heels.

4. 4

   Extend the arms long in front of you or let them rest alongside the body with palms up.

5. 5

   Rest the forehead on the mat or on stacked hands.

6. 6

   Close the eyes and breathe deeply into the back body. Hold for 5–10 breaths or as long as needed.

Benefits

• Gently stretches the hips, thighs, and lower back
• calms the nervous system