Balasana (Childs pose)

This article reviews balasana and explains: Its fundamental principles The structural and functional physiology involved The Yogic or subtle physiology involved How it relates to other asanas in the group How it may be sequenced in a practice/class Variations according to needs and major pre-cautions and/or contra-indications. Main indications for adjustment. This article assumes the asana is performed by a healthy individual. Ahimsa, the yogic practice of non violence must be adhered to when engaging in the practice of hatha yoga. Respect your body's limitations and inner wisdom, if something feels wrong or dangerous, please do not do it.    The editorial content of this article should not be used as a substitute for professional health care or personal instruction. Talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise regime.

Fundamental principles of balasana

"Create 'Beginner's Mind.' View the world as a child and let yourself be born anew.

This is a resting pose which can be a counterpose between asanas.  Because the pose is a forward bend, your attention is naturally drawn inward. Your back is gently rounded.

Balasana gently releases neck and back tension while gently stretching the hips, thighs and ankles.

Balasana is a great beginners pose; even the stiffest beginning student can attempt some variation of it.

More than a rest stop, Child's Pose requires you to surrender to gravity and a state of nondoing.  

Techniques and steps

1. Kneeling down, sit on your heels with your big toes touching.  Your knees may separate about a hip width apart.
2. Exhale simply fold forward with your front body resting on your thighs and your head resting on the floor.  Place your arms by your sides.  While resting in Child's Pose, be sure that the skin on your forehead is moving towards your nose, as this is most restful on the brain.  Avoid allowing the skin on the forehead to be stretched towards your hairline.  Hold for 5 breaths or as long as necessary to clear the effects of any previous pose.
3. Inhale come up slowly with a straight spine.
4. Exhale release the pose
   

The structural and functional physiology involved

Balasana gently stretches the hips, thighs, and ankles helping creating space in the body.  

With each inhalation expands the heart and lungs, gently lengthening the spine (the chest and rib cage glide forward and the spine elongates), thus relieves back and neck pain (particularly when done with head and torso supported). 

Balasana allows the internal organs to soften. With the forehead on the ground the senses are less active and the mind quickly becomes calm. 

This calms the brain and helps relieve stress and fatigue.

 

The Yogic or subtle physiology involved

Balasana being a restorative pose and quieting pose helps settle an overactive mind and encourage us to surrender to gravity and thus helps ground the first chakra - Muladhara Chakra (Root). Balasana provides a symbolic place of ego-oriented thoughts, bows humbly below the heart. This form reflects a pose of offering, a pranam, in which the light of the heart pours out over the head dissolving selfish motives. In this position  reminds us that each of us has something uniquely beautiful and valuable to give.  Placing the offering at the feet reflects our detachment from any outcome, even the possibility that our gift will not be picked up or gladly received. We must trust that supreme love will receive all sincere and open-hearted gifts, despite their apparent outer value. Child's Pose reflects the humble outpouring of the heart.   It reminds us to cultivate our inner innocence so that we in turn may see the world without judgement or criticism.   This pose is also a profound expression of your heart's devotion to God, thus involving Anahata Chakra (Heart).  The health of our heart center registers the quality and power of love in our life.

How it relates to other asanas in the group

Balasana is a resting pose.  Beginners can also use Balasana to get a taste of a deep forward bend, where the torso rests on the thighs.  Balasana is much more gentler than other forward bends.

How it may be sequenced in a practice/class

Balasana is a resting pose that can be sequenced to precede or follow any asana.  

Balasana also helps balance and harmonise the energy from the asana practice.

It grounds the practitioner in a place of ease and gratitude. This posture may be practiced anytime it is necessary to regain your center throughout a class and even during the day.

Variations according to needs and major pre-cautions and/or contra-indications

Balasana (Child's Pose)—with trunk supported on a bolster or three long folded blankets if you have back injuries - following instructions from a qualified instructor. If you have difficulty sitting on your heels in this pose, place a thickly folded blanket between your back thighs and calves. To increase the length of the torso, stretch your arms forward. Lift your buttocks just slightly away from your heels. Reach the arms longer while you draw the shoulder blades down the back. Then without moving the hands, sit the buttocks down on the heels again.

Main indications for adjustment.

If your hips remain elevated away from your feet, you can press with your hands into the floor, as if you were attempting to push the floor down and forward; this will help take the hips back and down toward the feet.

If the shoulders are tight and bunched up to the ears, you can soften your upper back and allow the spine to melt down between your shoulder blades. From this area in your upper back, release your neck and allow your head to hang down.  Try to separate the hands wider than shoulder distance apart.

Knee injury: Avoid Balasana unless you have the supervision of an experienced teacher.   With supervision, may try with blankets as described above.

May need blanket under buttocks on feet- if can’t get down and back.

Avoid Balasana if you have diarrhea or are pregnant.

References

1. Coulter, D & McCall, Timothy, Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners
2. Farhi, D, Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness.
3. Friend, J (1997), Child's Pose, http://www.yogawest.org/beginners/childspose.htm
4. Herring, Barbara Kaplan, Seventh Heaven, http://www.yogajournal.com/newtoyoga/seventh2.cfm
5. Iyengar, B. K. S, (1991), Light on Yoga.
6. Jois Sri K. Pattabhi, (1999), Yoga Mala
7. Schiffmann, E, Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness.
8. Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, (1998), Yoga Mind & Body
   Sivananda, (2004),
9. Tortora and Grabowski, Principles of Anatomy and Physiology (John Wiley & Sons Inc.)
10. Vivekananda Kendra Patrika, (1998), Yoga The science of Holistic Living, Volume 17, No 2, August 1998 (b/w pictures function of ANS, ANS, Endocrine system, )
11. Yoga Journal (2004), Balasana,  http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/475_1.cfm
12. Yoga Dancer, (2004), Balasana http://www.yogadancer.com/