Discovering Bliss: The Joyful Release of Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby Pose)

Ananda Balasana (or Happy Baby Pose) is a playful, joyful pose that invites practitioners to tap into their inner child, finding freedom, ease, and a sense of light-heartedness amidst the demands of daily life.

So, if you are looking to add more play into your day, join me as we explore the delightful Ananda Balasana and its myriad of benefits for body, mind, and spirit.

The Essence of Ananda Balasana

Ananda Balasana is a rejuvenating and invigorating yoga posture that resembles the playful position of a happy baby lying on its back, kicking its legs joyfully into the air.

In this pose, practitioners lie on their backs and draw their knees toward their chest, grasping the outside of their feet or ankles with their hands.

The spine remains grounded and the hips open, as the knees draw toward the armpits, creating a gentle stretch in the groin and lower back.

Benefits of Ananda Balasana

The benefits of Ananda Balasana are many. 

Hip Opening

Ananda Balasana is a wonderful hip opener, helping to release tension and tightness stored in the hip flexors, groin, and inner thighs. Regular practice of this pose can improve flexibility and mobility in the hip joints, enhancing overall ease of movement and comfort in the body.

Spinal Alignment

As the spine remains grounded in Ananda Balasana, the pose encourages proper alignment and lengthening of the spine. This can help alleviate tension and compression in the vertebrae, promoting spinal health and alignment.

Stress Relief

Happy Baby Pose offers a gentle release for the lower back and sacrum, making it an effective pose for relieving stress and tension stored in the lumbar spine. It can, also, help to calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and promote a sense of relaxation and wellbeing.

Inner Child Exploration

Ananda Balasana invites practitioners to tap into their inner child, embracing a sense of playfulness, curiosity, and joy. It reconnects us with  a childlike sense of wonder and innocence, cultivating a lightness of being and an uplifted outlook on life.

Digestive Support

The gentle compression of the abdomen in Ananda Balasana can stimulate digestion and promote healthy bowel function which can help alleviate symptoms of bloating, indigestion, and constipation, leaving practitioners feeling light and energised.

Practising Ananda Balasana

Preparation: Begin by lying on your back on a yoga mat, with your arms resting alongside your body and your legs extended.

Bend Your Knees: Draw your knees toward your chest, keeping them bent at a 90-degree angle. Your feet should be flexed, with the soles facing upward.

Grasp Your Feet: Reach your hands up to hold the outsides of your feet or ankles. If you're unable to reach your feet, you can use a strap looped around the soles of your feet to assist you.

Open Your Hips: Gently open your knees wider than your torso, drawing them toward your armpits. Keep your spine grounded and your tailbone pressing down toward the mat.

Explore Movement: Rock gently from side to side or back and forth, exploring the range of motion in your hips and lower back. You can also straighten one leg at a time, keeping the other knee bent, to deepen the stretch in each hip.

Breathe & Relax: Close your eyes and take several deep breaths in and out through your nose, allowing yourself to fully relax into the pose. Stay in Ananda Balasana for 5-10 breaths, or longer if desired, enjoying the sensation of openness and release in your hips and lower back.

Release: To come out of the pose, gently release your feet and extend your legs back down onto the mat. Take a moment to pause and notice how you feel, allowing the benefits of the pose to integrate into your body and mind.

Ananda Balasana is not just a yoga pose; it's an invitation to embrace the essence of joy, playfulness, and innocence that resides within each of us and as we embrace the bliss of Ananda Balasana on the mat, we more easily embody its lightness and joy as we navigate the journey of life.

And if you are interested in learning more, take advantage of our 7-day free trial to visit the Asana Lab on Sattva Connect. Your Support to an Awakened Life!