(bah-LAHS-anna)
bala = child
A restful pose that gently stretches the hips, thighs and ankles; calms the mind and helps relieve tiredness.
- Sit back on your heels with a blanket on top of your yoga mat for comfort.
- Take your knees apart and lean forwards, resting your head on the floor in front of you – on your way down, try to move from the groins, the top front thigh, and develop a sense that the top of the thigh bones are settling as you descend. This will aid absorption and ensure that the pose is weighted from the back so that the posterior spine can be stretched.
- When placing your head on the floor, make sure that you rest on the hairline – where the brow meets the hair – so that the neck is stretched and nose is comfortable for breathing.
DURATION: Stay in the pose for around a minute and not much more.
FOCUS: Calm, settle and realign yourself with your own energy but do not become sluggish. Focus on the breath – please note than when becoming aware of something like the breath, it is important that the brain is kept passive, so relax the jaw and temples and allow the muscles around the head band to feel more peaceful.