Arguably one of the best-sounding yoga poses out there, the happy baby pose is an excellent yoga pose that not only offers plenty of health benefits, but is also relaxing too, which makes it a popular inclusion to many people’s yoga routines.
In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the happy baby pose and everything you need to know.
Including both the mental and the physical benefits as well as step-by-step instructions on how you can perform this pose for yourself, and some of the mistakes that some people make when trying to perform the pose.
So, whether you’re new to yoga, or are a seasoned yogi, this guide will be able to help you to perfect this pose in no time.
What Is The Happy Baby Pose?
The happy baby pose is a relaxing and playful yoga pose that is designed to try and imitate the carefree nature of a newborn.
As you might have guessed from the name, the pose somewhat resembles a happy baby lying on their back as they try to grab their feet, rocking from side to side.
This pose is an extremely versatile one, and can be done either at the start of a session, or the end, especially since it’s so great at helping you to relax and unwind, which is essential for any successful workout, and because it’s so easy to do, any person at any skill-level will be able to perform it.
Not only is this pose really fun, but it also offers the person doing it with plenty of mental and physical health benefits too. As you begin to hold the pose, you’ll notice that you’ll begin to feel something of a gentle pull on the inner thighs, lower back, and your hips too.
This helps not only to relieve some of the tension in your back, but also to help increase your flexibility too.
In addition to this, manu yogis find that the motion of rocking back and forth is extremely relaxing, and helps to ease and soothe the mind, which makes it excellent for those restorative practices.
So, now that you know just how great this pose can be, you’re probably wondering how you can do this pose for yourself!
How To Do The Happy Baby Pose?
This pose isn’t necessarily a difficult pose to complete, so even those who are new to yoga should be able to complete it with ease, and with the help of these step-by-step instructions, you’ll be able to do this pose in no time.
- To begin, you’ll want to lay your mat out on the floor, and lay down on your back. Breathe in deeply, and then when you exhale, bring your knees up toward your sternum.
- On your next inhale, you’ll then want to grab the outside of both feet, although if you can’t do this, you can always use a strap or belt to grab a hold of them instead.
- Next, spread your knees apart from one another until they are just beyond each side of your torso, and then bend them toward your armpits.
- Keep both of your ankles in a perpendicular position relative to the floor, and then push your feet into either your hands or the straps as you begin to pull them back, which should help to create resistance in between your soles and the hands or straps.
- If you enjoy it, you can then begin to rock from side to side, just like a happy baby would do!
This pose can be incorporated into your routine no matter how relaxed or intense you plan on making your session, so be sure to try it sometime soon!
Mistakes People Make Doing The Happy Baby Pose
While the pose itself is fairly easy to do, that doesn’t mean that people don’t make mistakes when performing it, and if you want to reap all of the benefits that this pose has to offer, then it’s important to ensure that you’re doing the pose properly by famliarising yourself with some of the mistakes people make.
The first mistake some people make is by allowing their shoulders to lift up off the mat. This usually happens when people try to reach and hold their feet, which is where using straps comes into play, as it helps to make this process much easier.
If you don’t have any straps available for use, then another alternative is simply to hold your ankles, or your shins, depending on how far down you are able to reach. Then, once you build up an increased amount of flexibility, you can work towards holding your feet.
Another common mistake made by people is not keeping their neck against the mat too. Failing to do this could lead to you straining your neck and injuring yourself, which no one wants to do!
Some people remedy this by placing a rolled up towel underneath their neck to help provide additional support, which is an excellent way to solve the issue.
A Note About Hamstrings
One of the biggest issues that some people encounter with this pose stems from their hamstrings.
If you have an issue with keeping your shoulders or lower back against the mat as you pose, or suffer from cramps in your leg throughout, then this is a telltale sign of tight hamstrings.
The only way to solve this issue is to ensure that you’re routinely stretching your hamstrings, and while a happy baby pose is a good way to do so, there are some other stretches worth considering in order to help ease the tightness in your hamstrings.
Final Thoughts
We hope this guide to the happy baby pose has been helpful for you, and that you get to incorporate this pose into your routine sometime soon!
I created this website to help newcomers to yoga and enthusiasts alike, and to share our common passions for yoga.
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