Stress Buster Child Pose

If there is a yoga pose that one can perform, anywhere anytime and want to relax then that would be stress buster Balasana or child pose. If you are stressed out and want to calm your mind, to come out from anxiety and anger child pose or baby pose helps.  Balasana is the Sanskrti word for child pose. Bala= child, asana= pose. This pose resembles a child who is sleeping on its belly by placing hands in front (in different forms).

Child pose is a resting pose that can be used at any time, and is especially enjoyable after a challenging pose. It means when we go through stress and anxiety, performing child pose not only calms the body, mind and spirit, but also stimulates the third eye point.

How you do child pose:

• Sit back on heels and open knees about hip width on a mat. Bend forward by lowering upper body between thighs and bring forehead toward floor. Stretch both arms in front of the body by facing palms down.
• Or simply kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips.
• If you find it hard to touch the forehead to floor use a folded towel, a block or a blanket – and place head on the any one of these items of your choice.
• If you find it difficult on calves and hamstrings, place a folded towel between calves and hamstrings.
• Don’t forget to breath in and out few times.

Variation:

To increase length of the torso, lift your buttocks just slightly away from the heels and stretch both arms in the front. While stretching the arms long draw the shoulder blades down and back.  Sit the buttocks down on the heels again.

Benefits:

• Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and fatigue: Touching forehead on the floor and closing eyes helps in focusing mind and brings balance and calms the mind. Stretching of body create awareness on oneself and reduces the pain related to stress.
• Relieves back and neck pain when done with head and torso supported
• Stretches the hips, thighs, and ankles
• Stimulate digestive systems and massages internal organs : Stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system
• It gently releases the lower back
• For women – helpful in releasing menstrual cramps and stress related to menstrual cycle.
• Releases shoulder tension

Reference: www.werindia.com

Image credit: Image by Stephanie Pratt from Pixabay  (Free for commercial use)