If you are a yoga lover, you know there is a pose you can go to when you simply don’t feel like going anywhere else. It’s a place of refuge, a place of relaxation – definitely a place where you can let go.
What I speak of is formally known as balasana, or “child’s pose” and for some reason, getting there just “does” it for a number of students in my classes. Balasana is a resting pose where the upper body is situated over folded legs. It is referred to as “child’s pose” because it mimics the position a baby takes in its mother’s womb – all safe, warm and relaxed.
Balasana can be associated with bowing or becoming submissive, the act of which (while being considered demeaning in the west) translates into one of dignity in other parts of the world. I see child’s pose as a way of expressing and honoring all that is pure in the human condition – loving intention, devotion, and the ability to look inward. As with all yoga poses, this universal favorite teaches us something. It reminds us that the child within us can sometimes be our best teacher.
