When women pick yoga poses, they do so keeping their goals in mind. It can be to manage period cramps or to relieve stress. If you are looking for an asana that involves stretching and something that calms your mind, go for balasana. It is a relaxation asana, which is also known as a child’s pose. An interesting thing about it is that it does more than just calming the mind. Read on to find out the benefits of balasana or child’s pose and how to do it correctly.
What are the benefits of child’s pose or balasana?
Doing balasana is like being a child — relaxed, calm and composed, says global leading holistic health guru and corporate life coach Dr Mickey Mehta. Here are some benefits:
1. Balasana helps to become stress-free
When you put your head on the ground and you breathe out, you literally breathe out all your mental and emotional stress. It brings clarity, creativity, and dissolves confusions, so your emotional tapestry changes.
2. Balasana helps to improve digestion
If you do the child’s pose on an empty stomach, it can help organs like kidney, liver, gall bladder and intestines to get stimulated. It helps to improve digestion, says the expert.
3. Balasana helps to improve hip mobility
Balasana stretches the hip flexors, which can become tight from prolonged sitting or strenuous physical activity. This in turn can help to improve hip mobility.
4. Balasana helps to get rid of back pain
Stretching of the spine, elongating it a little bit releases a lot of stress from your back and neck. This helps to manage pain in these areas.
5. Balasana helps to sleep better
You can do balasana after a tiring day at work or a strenuous exercise. It can help to relax and soothe your muscles, making sure you have good sleep.
How to do balasana?
If you don’t do an asana properly, you won’t be able to reap the benefits.
• Start by kneeling while separating your knees approximately hip-width apart, and bringing your big toes together.
• Maintain a straight spine by sitting back on your heels.
• Bend forward at the hips and extend your arms forward while taking a breath and then letting it out.
• Lay your arms alongside your body and place your forehead on the mat or a cushion.
Concentrating on relaxation and deep breathing, hold the position for about thirty seconds at a time. But if you can do it longer, then you can remain in the pose for even two minutes.
But if it is a little difficult for you, adjust the pose as necessary or place a cushion under your knees, especially if you have knee problems.
Balasana variations
You can go for balasana variations to break the monotony:
1. Extended child’s pose
To enhance the stretch in your shoulders and back, extend your arms forward as far as you can in this version, suggests Dr Mehta.
2. Twisting balasana
Starting with the standard pose, lay one hand on the wrist and slowly twist the torso to one side.
Though balasana is a good and safe asana, people with knee or ankle injuries and pregnant women should avoid it. If you have high blood pressure, don’t lower your head for long.
Others can benefit by adding this posture to their yoga practice. Always pay attention to your body, and if you have any specific worries or medical conditions that could interfere with the practice, speak with a yoga instructor or your doctor.
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