This is an all-purpose pose to relax your body and release tension in your spine, back, and hips. It’s a great cool down to return your breathing to normal, or a warm up to activate the core, upper back, and shoulders. Child’s pose also helps relieve stiffness in the spine after sitting for an extended period of time.
Child’s Pose Target Areas
- Hips
- Back
- Spine
- Shoulders
Child’s Pose Benefits
- Relieves back pain and stiffness
- Slows breathing and encourages post-workout recovery
- Improves shoulder mobility
- Straightens spine to improve posture
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How to Do Child’s Pose
- Start on all fours with shoulders over hands and hips over knees. Widen knees slightly wider than hip-width apart, and touch big toes together.
- Shift your hips back toward heels as far as you comfortably can. Keep torso as long as possible.
- Keeping hips pushed back, walk your arms forward on the floor to stretch your back, and place hands shoulder-width apart. Lightly squeeze arms and shoulders toward one another, and firmly press hands into floor.
- Tighten lower abs, and draw ribs in. Hold the posture, inhaling to expand your chest and fill lungs, and exhaling to tighten abs and draw ribs in.
Cues for Child’s Pose
- Flatten back
- Keep head in line with spine
- Engage lower abdominal muscles
- Form straight line from hips to hands
- Press hands firmly into floor
WHAT YOU SHOULD FEEL
- Stretch in shoulders, back, hips, thighs, and ankles
- Engagement of core and upper back
WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T FEEL
- Lack of stretching in back; if so, engage core
- Head not touching floor; if so, rest forehead on a block
- Pain in knees; if you do, bend knees less
Child’s Pose Pro Tip
You can make Child’s pose active or passive. To be more active, keep shoulders and arms engaged. To be more passive, relax elbows to the floor.
About Dean Pohlman, Founder & CEO of Man Flow Yoga, Author of Yoga Fitness for Men, Expert on Yoga Fitness for Men.
Dean Pohlman is an E-RYT 200 certified yoga instructor and the founder of Man Flow Yoga. Dean is widely considered to be an authority on Yoga for Men. He has worked with physical therapists to create yoga programs for back health and spinal recovery. His workouts and programs have been used by professional and collegiate athletes, athletic trainers, and personal trainers; and have been recommended by physical therapists, doctors, chiropractors, and other medical professionals.
Dean is a successfully published author through DK Publishing (Yoga Fitness for Men), selling 35,000 copies worldwide in English, French, and German; in addition to being a co-producer of the Body by Yoga DVD Series, which has sold over 40,000 copies on Amazon since its release in 2016.
Man Flow Yoga has been featured in Muscle & Fitness Magazine, Mens’ Health, The Chicago Sun, New York Magazine, and many more major news media outlets.
