The happy baby yoga pose is a gentle yoga pose that aims to stretch hamstrings, improve hip mobility, and alleviate lower back pain. It is often included in yin yoga to promote relaxation. Our article discusses the benefits of the happy baby pose, proper execution, and common modifications.
The happy baby yoga pose is best used as a resting post within larger yoga sequences, either in between active poses or at the end of the flow. It helps promote relaxation while stretching multiple muscle groups. Below are the main benefits of the happy baby yoga pose:
The happy baby pose stretches multiple muscle groups, particularly the hips and thighs. Regularly working to release tension in these areas helps reduce stiffness and improve range of motion.
The muscles stretched in happy baby pose include the following:
Lifting your legs also helps engage certain muscle groups. Training these muscles to tolerate pressure for an extended period helps increase strength.
The muscles strengthened in the happy baby pose include:
The happy baby pose involves lying down and giving your back a gentle stretch. The process releases tension from the spine, reducing the risk or severity of lower back pain.
As mentioned above, the happy baby pose also strengthens your core and improves flexibility in hip abductors and flexors. When your muscles are strong and flexible enough to support your body with ease, the risk of pain is reduced.
The happy baby pose is primarily a passive pose. Like many passive poses, it uses deep breathing to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system and put the body in a relaxed state.
Incorporating the happy baby pose into an active practice like vinyasa yoga makes it easier to restore energy between strenuous poses. Meanwhile, including the happy baby pose in a slower flow like restorative yoga helps deepen your relaxation.
The happy baby pose is an easy, passive pose. It primarily engages the hips, thighs, lower back, and core.
Executing the happy baby pose involves the following steps:
The duration of your happy baby pose depends on the type of yoga you’re currently participating in. For example, iIn vinyasa yoga, the recommended duration is five breaths per pose. Meanwhile, in yin yoga, the recommended duration is three to five minutes.
If you’re including the happy baby pose as a part of your exercise warm-up or cool-down, the pose duration depends on your personal preference. As a gentle and passive pose, the happy baby pose creates little risk of overexertion injury, which means you can hold it for as long as you like.
Generally, anywhere from thirty to sixty seconds should suffice for a practice!
While the happy baby pose is relatively easy, there are a few ways to maximize the benefits of the stretch. These are:
You can maximize the benefits of the happy baby pose by modifying it to your specific goals or bodily limitations. The point of yoga is to cultivate a deeper connection to your body. Therefore, it’s important to adapt each pose to your body’s unique needs. Below are a few popular happy baby pose modifications.
The upward motion of reaching for your ankles may tempt you to lift your head off the floor. This mistake creates additional strain on your neck and spine, which can exacerbate existing neck injuries. To prevent this, place a folded blanket under your head. The support will make it easier for you to keep your neck long.
Flexibility differs from person to person. Should you encounter difficulty reaching your feet or ankles, you can use a yoga strap to make the pose easier. This modified pose involves the following steps:
The strap modification allows you to stretch your hips, inner thighs, and hamstrings without straining your shoulders or arms. It’s best for individuals with poor thigh flexibility.
Sometimes, one side of your body gets tighter than the other. If you want a focused stretch, do the happy baby pose on one leg at a time. The modified pose involves the following steps:
A simple adjustment for lower back discomfort is to place a pillow or folded blanket under your lower back and/or hips. The added support reduces pressure on the spine, allowing you to reach for your feet with minimal strain.
If you’re comfortable with the happy baby pose and want more of a challenge, you can experiment with foot flexions and extensions to work your muscles better. There are two ways to achieve this:
If you want to deepen your hip opening, spread your thighs a little further apart. Remember to listen to your body and avoid stretching further than your comfort level.
Deviating from the core alignments or positions of the happy baby pose may prevent you from fully reaping its benefits. Below are a few common happy baby pose mistakes and how to correct them.
As mentioned previously, the action of reaching for your feet may compel you to instinctively lift your head off the floor. This often occurs when you lack the hip flexibility to position your thighs closer to the floor. The mistake causes unnecessary strain on your neck and spine.
Be conscious of your head position when doing the happy baby pose. Make sure the back of your neck is flat against the floor, and your head is staring straight at the ceiling.
A blanket under your head can provide additional support as you reach upward. If you lack the flexibility to reach for your feet, use a yoga strap to aid the stretch.
It can be tempting to lift your chin as you look up at the ceiling. However, this adds unnecessary pressure to your neck. Instead, keep your eyes parallel to the ceiling and your chin facing forward.
Another possible mistake is closing your chest and lifting your shoulders in the attempt to reach upward. You should keep your back flat on the floor and your shoulders open. Closing the distance between your hands and feet is more about pulling your thighs down than moving your chest or arms up.
Again, if the root cause of this mistake is a lack of thigh or hip flexibility, you can get a similar stretch by pulling your thighs down with a yoga strap instead of your hands. This action engages your hamstrings, hips, and thighs while reducing the risk that you would lift your shoulders up.
Sometimes, the lack of flexibility makes pulling the thighs to the floor challenging. Remember that your lower legs should be perpendicular to the floor and your thighs almost parallel to the floor.
If you struggle to keep your thighs low, try using a yoga strap to pull them down to whatever’s comfortable. Practice regularly to build tolerance for the pose over time. Once you can get your thighs close to the floor, abandon the yoga strap and attempt to reach for your feet with your hands.
The happy baby pose is not recommended for pregnant individuals. Because the pose involves lying on your back, it can reduce blood circulation to the fetus.
Individuals with glute, hip, neck, and knee injuries are also discouraged from attempting the happy baby yoga pose, which engages these areas and thus risks exacerbating the existing injury.
Including the happy baby pose in your yoga routine can help you get some relaxation while engaging your lower body. It’s a non-strenuous and beginner-friendly way to build core strength and improve hamstring, thigh, and hip flexibility.
The happy baby yoga pose is also called the ananda balasana, which combines the words ananda (happy), bal (child), and asana (pose). The pose was designed to resemble infants lying on their backs in their cots or cribs.
Because the happy baby pose is a reclined pose, it is not safe to do immediately after eating. Lying down will redirect your stomach acid up your esophagus, which can lead to indigestion, bloating, or other types of discomfort. It is best to wait a full hour after eating before doing the happy baby yoga pose. The more you ate, the longer you should wait before practicing the pose.
Although the happy baby yoga pose is unsafe to execute immediately after a meal, it is helpful for digestion when properly timed. Because it engages the core and stretches the lower abdomen, it triggers the release of trapped gas.
The happy baby pose is a helpful addition to pelvic floor workouts. It stretches the hips and hamstrings, which increases mobility and makes most pelvic floor exercises easier.
