Child's Pose
- Pattern
- Mobility & Flexibility
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- Bodyweight, Yoga-Mat
- Primary muscles
- Lats, Lower Back, Hips, Low Back
- Secondary
- Lats, Shoulders
How to do the Child's Pose
Child's Pose is a restful floor stretch that gently opens the hips, lower back, and lats while letting the shoulders relax. It is often used to recover between harder movements or to unwind tightness from the day.
Start on your hands and knees on a yoga mat with your knees about hip-width apart and your toes tucked or untucked, whichever feels more comfortable. Sit your hips back toward your heels and extend your arms forward on the mat.
Let your forehead rest on the floor or a pillow. Reach your arms long in front of you, keep your neck relaxed, and soften your chest toward the ground. Hold the position and focus on slow, full breaths into your back. To make it easier, place a folded towel or pillow between your hips and heels. To deepen the stretch, widen your knees and reach your arms a little farther forward.
Coaching cues
- hips back to the heels
- reach the arms long, relax the neck
- breathe slowly into the back
Common faults & fixes
Fault: You feel pinching in the front of the hips or knees. Fix: Slide a pillow or folded blanket behind your knees and between your hips and heels so you can sit back comfortably without forcing the range.
Fault: Your neck feels tense or your shoulders are creeping up toward your ears. Fix: Relax your neck completely, soften your shoulders away from your ears, and let your arms rest heavy on the mat as you reach them forward.
Fault: You are holding your breath or bracing hard. Fix: Breathe slowly into your back, letting each exhale melt your chest closer to the floor.
Also known as: child's pose hold, child's pose with reach, child's pose with arm reach, child's pose + lat reach, child's pose lat stretch, child's pose to cobra, child's pose to downdog flow, child's pose thoracic reach, childs pose, wide-knee child's pose