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 making yoga more accessible to fitness-minded men. A former collegiate lacrosse player, Dean discovered yoga while recovering from injuries and quickly realized its potential to boost strength, mobility, and overall performance.
Since launching Man Flow Yoga in 2013, Dean Pohlman has built a global community that speaks for itself:
- 195,000+ customers
- 42+ million YouTube views
- 200,000+ followers across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
Dean’s book Yoga Fitness for Men has sold over 50,000 copies, while his Body by Yoga DVD series has surpassed 120,000 units sold, earning him consistent #1 rankings on Amazon and thousands of five-star reviews. He’s also been featured in Men’s Health, Muscle & Fitness, GQ Magazine, Fox Tampa Bay, The Chicago Sun, and on influential podcasts like The Ready State and Ben Greenfield Fitness.
With a focus on real results, community, and technique-focused instruction, Dean Pohlman continues to change the conversation around yoga. He’s not just teaching poses—he’s helping people build stronger, more capable bodies for life.
