Wide Child Pose Benefits

Following are the Benefits of Prasarita Balasana (Wide Child Pose):

1. Stretches, Strengthens, Lengthens : With the pressure in the inner thighs, the knees, the ankles and at the hips, this pose brings a great stretch to the entire hip muscles, quadriceps and calves. Though this stretch is gentle, it is a great opener for the above-said muscles. The hamstring is contracted and toned. This pose also stretches the entire back, mainly the sides of the upper back, while the arms are stretched out completely. As explained in the human anatomy, this stretch is at the Latissimus Dorsi muscles. With the arms stretched out deep forward, the spine is lengthened, which works as a great advantage for practicing various deep yoga poses.
2. Flexibility and Range of Motion: This pose gently opens the hips and the pelvic muscles. It enhances the hip flexibility and mobility thus preparing the body for deeper hip openers like Garland Pose Variation (Malasana Variation), Butterfly Pose A ( Baddha Konasana A), Bound Angle Forward Bend (Baddha Konasana Uttanasana) and the likes of which need hip opening and a forward bend.
3. Chest, Diaphragm, and Breath: The chest in this pose is rested on the floor, and there is a moderate chest opening with the lengthening of the arms. The upper body is lengthened, and the shoulders are broadened by rolling it away from the ears. It enhances the thoracic cavity and is effective for breathing and cardiac functions.
4. Awareness and Focus (Concentration): In this pose the student has to first align in Thunderbolt Pose (Vajrasana) and then slightly widen the legs. Inhaling, they must lengthen the torso and then take a forward bend on the exhale extending the arms. The student should consciously roll the shoulders away from the ears and not crunch them. This keeps the shoulder blades and the torso broad. Once settled in the pose, the breath is at its natural rhythm. Surrender of the mind and body is the element of this pose.
5. Alignment and Posture: The alignment of the legs in this pose stretches the pelvis and the hips. Enhanced flexibility at the hips due to the external rotation of the hips improves the mobility of the lower limbs. The extended spine and the elongated torso with broad shoulders improves body posture.
6. Energizing, De-stressing, Relaxing: This pose energizes the body by calming the mind. It relaxes the spine, shoulders, neck, and head and calms the mind and the central nervous system in the process. Staying in this pose regulates the heartbeat and the breathing rhythm to its natural body tendency. This stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for resting the body's activities.
7. Therapeutic, Healing, and Ailments: This pose is good for the knees as it stretches the ligaments of the anterior knee. It's effective for joint health and can be a relief for students who are in the initial stages of knee pain. It’s a good therapy to alleviate menstrual pain by opening the hips so that menstrual cramps are reduced. This mind-calming pose is effective to treat depression, anxiety, and trauma. It calms the nervous system by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. It is good for anger management too. It reduces shoulder, upper back, and lower back stiffness by lengthening the spine.
8. Balance and Emotions: This restorative pose when done in a calm serene environment can effectively create stillness in the thought process. A calm person gets less emotional and reacts to situations more maturely. This pose is grounding, and the person feels an attitude of gratitude with the head touching the earth. This pose stimulates the root (Muladhara) and sacral chakra and channelizes the prana to the crown chakra gently.
9. Others : This pose can be a cool down for athletes, swimmers, advanced yoga practitioners, and marathon runners. It balances the emotions and thoughts of teens helping them to cope up with their hormonal changes.
10. Preparatory Pose: Prasarita Balasana is a good preparation for deeper hip opening poses in prone position like :
    • Frog Pose I.
    • Resting Half Frog Pose(Vishraam Ardha Bhekasana).
    • Prone Straddle Split Pose Variation One Leg Half Frog (Samakonasana Prone Variation Eka Pada Ardha Bheka).