“God cannot be realized without childlike faith. The mother says to her child, pointing to a boy, ‘He is your elder brother.’ And the child at once believes that the boy is one hundred per cent his brother. Again, the mother says that a boogy man lives in a certain room, and the child believes one hundred per cent that the boogy man lives in the room. God bestows His grace on the devotee who has this faith of a child. God cannot be realized by the mind steeped in worldliness.” Sri RamaKrishna
Balasana, or child?s pose is a pose of introspection and contemplation. The asana greatly aids in the reduction of stress. It also gently stretches the hips, thighs, ankles, and spine. It calms the brain and relieves mental and physical fatigue. It can also help to reduce neck and back pain when done with a supported torso or head, as in the restorative version of the pose. As one gives way to gravity, all the strain of the day can melt away. Energetically, practice of Balasana encourages dormant Prana held in the lower three chakras to release and rise toward the crown chakra, Sahasrara. It is through the process of uplifting this energy through Sushumna (the spinal column) that enlightenment is side to occur.
To practice this asana:
Start by kneeling on the floor, or sit in Vajrasana (thunderbolt pose). Allow your big toes to come together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips. If this is uncomfortable for the knees, slide a folded blanket under the knees all the way to the ankle bones.
Next, exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Broaden your sacrum (low back) across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip points toward the navel, so that they nestle down onto the inner thighs. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of your skull away from the back of your neck. You can also gently tuck the pubic bone forward to gain a longer arch in the spine. Your spine should resemble a rainbow here, allowing more space to come between every single spinal disc.
Next, lay your hands on the floor alongside your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. Feel how the weight of the front shoulders pulls the shoulder blades wide across your back. Feel the space between the blades widen. As you breathe deeply, keep letting the shoulders fall toward the floor.
Balasana is a considered a resting pose. Stay it the asana anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Beginners can also use Balasana to get a feeling for a deep forward bend, where the torso rests on the thighs. Stay in the pose from 1 to 3 minutes. To come out of the pose, first lengthen the front torso, and then with an inhalation lift from the tailbone as it presses down and into the pelvis. Sit up tall and swing the legs around in front of you. You can finish off by practicing a swooning breath or any slight seated backbend.
Contraindications: This asana should not be practiced if you are experiencing diarrhea, or are pregnant, or have a knee injury, although knee injuries can often be accommodated with props such as bolsters and blankets.
Christina Sarich http://www.yogaforthenewworld.blogspot.com
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