April's Yoga Pose: Child Pose

Benefits of Child's Pose

Performing Child's Pose has many great benefits to the body and mind. Your head is lower then your heart, therefore you receive more circulation in the face. It works on muscle groups within the body and can be a natural therapy for relieving stress, anxiety, fatigue and depression.

Child's Pose strengthens and tones the hips, thighs and ankles. These muscles get a nice stretch. The longer you hold the pose the better the effect. The spine is also lengthened when you drop the hips down to your heels and relax your head and arms forward on the floor. It's a great pose for those with any back or neck pain. It's also a great choice for pregnant women during the first trimester.

This calming pose relaxes the brain, and helps to clear the mind of any negative thought. It helps you to focus and is a good aid for those who suffer from panic attacks.

It's important to breathe deeply into the pose, inhaling positive thoughts and exhaling all the tension throughout the body. Every breath should calm our minds and ease any stress or negativity. You can hold this pose for 10 breathes.

Steps for Child's Pose

1. Knees are at least hip width apart.
2. Rest your front ribs on the tops of your thighs.
3. Forehead is on the floor. Heels are apart, big toes touching.
4. Arms can be down by the feet (palms facing up), or arms can be extended forward. (palms facing down).
5. Press hands and feel your sitting bones on the mat.
6. Hold this pose for about 10 deep breathes.
   information from www.lexiyoga.com