** Posture: Bala-asana - The Child Pose ** Translation: The Sanskrit word bala means child. ** Pronunciation: ba-lah-sa-na ** Difficulty: (2) ** Instructions: "Many reflections of the sun can be seen in many cups full of water, but the sun is the same; similarly, persons, like cups, can be innumerable, but spirit, like the sun, is one." 1- Place your buttocks on your heels and sit on your knees with your feet together. Your knees should be roughly the same breadth as your hips. Place your hands, palms down, on your thighs. (This is the Thunderbolt Pose, or vajra-asana.) 2- Inhale deeply, then exhale as you swing your arms forward and place your chest between your knees. 3- If feasible, lay your forehead on the floor, then bring your arms around to your sides, palms up, until your hands are resting on each side of your feet. 4- Hold the pose while slowly breathing through your nose. Hold the position for one to two minutes. Then, with your back straight and your hands on your thighs, return to an upright kneeling posture. 5- Hold the stance for a minimum of one more time. ** benefits Beginners can easily accomplish the bala-asana, which is one of the most soothing Yoga poses. It's best utilized as a counter-pose to any stance that stretches the spine backward (such as naga-asana, dhanura-asana, chakra-asana, ushtra-asana, and so on) in your Yoga program. Bala-asana stretches and relaxes the shoulders, neck, back muscles, and thighs in a gentle manner. Duration/Repetitions: You can hold the bala-asana for as long as you choose. If it's less than a minute, do it at least twice more.