I Fell Asleep in Child’s Pose
In the humility, reverence, and surrender of Child's Pose, we open ourselves completely to all of creation. . . .
I fell asleep in Child's Pose. I wanted to try and fall asleep like a baby. To see how my body would feel, and how long I could stay in the pose. I wanted to share my experience. It turned out interesting and not exactly as I expected.
I started off in Child’s Pose with my arms extended forward, palms facing down. This gave a good stretch to my shoulders. A few minutes in, I began to notice my heart rate slowing down. I started to feel very calm and relaxed. I was enjoying the pose at this point.
The first thing I noticed after 10 minutes was my feet stretched out, as normally they aren’t pointed out for a long time. We are so used to standing on our feet all day, so having my feet pointed started to feel a bit uncomfortable. But it wasn’t too bad.
After 15 minutes, I decided to bring my arms down alongside the body to give my shoulders a rest. Also, to turn my head to one side, as it’s more comfortable to sleep that way.
My breathing slowed down, and I was almost going to fall asleep, but I felt my right leg start to tingle. I noticed my foot being very smooched like pins and needles. My foot was asleep.
My mind was thinking about that. My mind was thinking about getting out of the pose, stretching out my legs, and how good that would feel. I was in a state of uncomfortableness.
My body wasn’t used to being in such a pose for such a long period of time.
I lasted in Child’s Pose for about 30 minutes. 27 minutes to be exact.
Stretching out my legs felt amazing after being scrunched up like a ball for so long. My hips were so stretched open. Straightening my legs out was the best part of this whole experience. I even felt the stretch the next day.
I think if you spend longer times in poses it really opens up deeper tissues in your body. It’s something we aren’t used to, but good to practice.
Babies are so open and their bodies are very flexible, so they can sleep in Child’s pose all night. Where our bodies are much tighter as we don’t move around as much and lose our flexibility as we get older.
Benefits of Child's Pose
Child’s pose, also referred to as Balasana, it’s Sanskrit name is a great pose for many ailments.
It’s an excellent resting pose that’s practiced in most yoga classes. It’s useful after strenuous postures, like headstand to restore the body’s natural circulation, or as a counter pose to back bends.
It’s called Child’s Pose, as you form the shape of a baby, and your spine is curved naturally like a fetus.
There is something so nourishing and nurturing about this pose, as it’s a true resting pose, that you can hold for a long period of time.
It’s important to breathe deeply into the pose, inhaling positive thoughts, and exhaling all the tension throughout your body. Every breath should calm your mind, and ease any stress or negativity.
It's Calming for the Mind
It’s calming for the mind, as you place your head, third eye down on the mat (on the bed if you are trying to sleep in the pose), which has an instant soothing effect on the brain.
It’s great for Digestion
Doing Child’s Pose with your knees closer together, so that your belly is resting on your thighs is a great way to massage the internal organs, which may help move your digestion along.
It elongates the Lower Back
If you are sitting at a desk all day, or standing for long periods of time and slouching your back, then you have some compression in your lower back. This is because we usually aren't consciously pulling up or engaging our lower abdominals. Child's Pose can open up and elongate your back.
It opens the Hips
Just like our lower back, sitting in a chair all day for long periods of time can tighten all the muscles in and around your hips. By taking your knees apart in your Child’s Pose, so that your belly can relax in between them, you will be getting a nice stretch and opening through the hips.
Resting is a Good Thing
If you love to push yourself to constantly practice yoga and skip any resting pose, you will be out of balance over time. It’s like yin and yang energy. You need both to be in complete harmony. It’s not about being at 100% effort all the time. As you will probably feel burnt out if you avoid rest.
Taking time to enjoy Child’s Pose may help you re-charge your batteries and give your body and mind a break, a chance to heal. It is said that much of your life on the yoga mat, mirrors your life off the mat, and vice versa. So, taking time for yourself and resting is a form of self-love.
Child’s Pose gives you a chance to quiet the body and mind, and help you look inward to find peace. Whenever stress takes over, whenever you need to reconnect with your breath, your intention, Balasana is always there.
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