Beyond Mat:Listen To Your Body

Child's pose or also known as Balasana seems like a simple posture but it is an important part of yoga practice. It is a try resting pose to hold you for long periods of time without the need for props. Learning to use this pose wisely is the part of your developing practice where you listen to your body's inner voice and do what it tells you. Your body will respond when you when rest.The benefits of practising this pose are the following:

• gentle stretch for the back, hips, thighs and ankles
• relieve back pain
• relaxes back and calms the nervous system
• improves blood circulation
• good relaxation

Performing this pose is easy following these steps described below:

• Kneel on the floor with your toes together and your knees hip-width apart
• rest palms on top of your thigh
• on an exhale, lower your torso between your knees
• extend your arms alongside your torso with your palms facing down
• relax your shoulder toward the ground
• rest in the pose as long as needed

Balasana is a resting pose so 30 seconds to a few minutes is sufficient but beginners may use this pose to get a taste of a deep forward bend, where the torso rests on the thighs for 1-3 minutes. One may deepen this pose by exhaling the opposite direction: chest>ribs>belly. Try focus your mind on lengthening the entire backside of your spine, especially the base of your spine, create space between your pelvis and spine by expanding that area as you breathe in. Then release all tension when you breathe out.

The contraindications or limitation involved in performing Balasana as follows:

• injury to heels
• tight hips
• tight low back
• tight calves

Child's pose is relaxing because by opening your hips and elongating your back. It relieves the tension caused by daily movements by allowing you to breath deeply, clean oxygen circulation and restoring energy. It also increases blood circulation, making your body perform better.

This pose is a great restorative posture during pregnancy especially in 2nd and 3rd trimester where you can place a block under your forehead to allow more room for the belly.