Child's Pose
Child's Pose
Child’s Pose is a classic “rest” pose in yoga. Personally I incorporate this frequently in my own practice as a counter-stretch in between backbends to help stretch out my low back, and get a gentle shoulder stretch at the same time.
How To
Step 1
Start kneeling - you can choose kneeling keeping your knees/thighs together, or splaying your knees out wide - whatever feels better on your body!
Step 2
Sit your butt backwards as you lean forwards, reaching your arms forwards in front of you. If you have tighter hips or this feels uncomfortable on your ankles, you can place a yoga block or two between your feet to sit on, and flex your feet instead of pointing the ankles. Relax your forehead onto the floor.
Hold this pose for as long as you like! When I’m using it as a quick break between backbends, I might only hold it for 10s or so, but if you’re looking for a longer rest, feel free to hold for 30-60s.
Modifications
Make it easier:
Sit back onto some yoga blocks so you can relax the weight of your hips onto a support.
Instead of reaching arms straight forwards, relax your arms by your sides, bringing your hands by the sides of your hips, palms facing up (only if this feels OK on your neck, because now you’ll be resting your forehead on the floor “unsupported” by your arms)
Make it harder:
Spread your knees wide, and come up onto your fingertips, lifting your wrists away from the floor to get more of a shoulder stretch. Let your belly fall to the floor between your thighs, and keep your wrists lifted to stretch your shoulders
Add some movement - reaching side to side is a common variation to add a side-body stretch, you can also experiment with adding a spinal twist.
Related Content
Flexopedia: Angry Toddler's Pose
Blog Post: Beginner-Friendly Shoulder Conditioning
Blog Post: Quick and Easy Shoulder Warm Up
