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The symbol of the Lotus flower is held sacred in many cultures. The Lotus rises from muddy waters to bloom, making it a symbol of purity and resurrection. May we learn to rise above our own muddy waters and bloom... |
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Balasana (Child's Pose)
(bah-LAHS-anna)
bala = child
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Benefits
- Gently stretches the hips, thighs, and ankles
- Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and fatigue
- Relieves back and neck pain when done with head and torso supported
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Contradictions/Cautions
- Diarrhea
- Pregnancy
- Knee injury: Avoid Balasana unless you have the supervision of an experienced teacher.
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Step by Step
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Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heals, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips.
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Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow the hip points toward the naval, so that they nestle down onto the inner thighs. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of your skull away from the back of the neck.
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Lay your hands on the floor alongside the torso, palms up, and release the fronts of the shoulders toward the floor. Feel how the weight of the front shoulders pulls the shoulder blads wide across your back.
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Balasna is a resting pose. Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. Beginners can also use Balsana to get a taste of a deep forward bend, where the torso rests on the thighs. Stay in the pose from 1 to 3 minutes. To come up, first lengthen the front torso, and then with an inhalation lift from the tailbone as it presses down into the pelvis.
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Modifications & Props
If you have difficulty sitting on your heels in this pose, place a thickly folded blanket between your back thighs and calves.
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