Happy Baby Pose
Description
Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana) is a gentle, restorative yoga pose where you lie on your back, grab the outsides of your feet, and pull your knees down toward your armpits. It decompresses the lower spine, deeply opens the hips, and stretches the inner thighs. It is one of the most calming poses in any yoga practice.
Equipment Required
Happy Baby Pose Instructions
- Lie flat on your back. Bend your knees and bring them toward your chest.
- Reach up and grab the outsides of your feet with your hands. If you cannot reach your feet, hold your shins or use a yoga strap looped around your feet.
- Open your knees wider than your torso and pull them gently down toward your armpits.
- Keep your ankles directly above your knees so your shins are vertical.
- Press your tailbone, sacrum, and lower back firmly into the floor.
- Relax your shoulders and head onto the floor.
- Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Breathe deeply into your belly. Gently rock side to side for added massage if desired.
- Release by letting your feet down and hugging your knees to your chest.
Happy Baby Pose Form & Visual
Happy Baby Pose Benefits
- Decompresses the lower spine
- Deeply opens the hips and stretches the inner thighs
- Calming and restorative
- Relieves lower-back tension
- Gentle enough for daily practice
- Often used to end yoga classes for relaxation
Happy Baby Pose Muscles Worked
- Adductors (inner thighs, stretched)
- Hip flexors (stretched)
- Erector spinae (decompressed)
- Gluteus maximus and medius
Happy Baby Pose Variations & Alternatives
- Wind-Relieving Pose
- Knee-to-Chest Stretch
- Half Happy Baby (one leg at a time)
- Happy Baby with Strap
- Child’s Pose
