Happy Baby Pose

Instructions

1. 1Lie on your back, exhale and draw both knees toward your chest.
2. 2Grip the outer edges of the feet with your hands, keeping the thumbs on the arches or wrapping fingers around the big toes.
3. 3Open your knees wider than your torso and draw them gently toward your armpits.
4. 4Flex the feet actively, pressing the soles upward as if pushing against a ceiling, and stack the ankles over the knees.
5. 5Lengthen the tailbone toward the floor and press the sacrum flat against the mat.
6. 6Rock gently from side to side if it feels good, massaging the length of the spine.
7. 7Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute, breathing steadily into the belly.

Contraindications & precautions

• ⚠Pregnancy beyond the first trimester — the deep compression of the abdomen is contraindicated; practice a modified reclined butterfly instead.
• ⚠Knee injury or chronic knee pain — avoid gripping the feet; hold the backs of the thighs instead to reduce joint stress.
• ⚠Neck injury — keep a folded blanket under the head throughout the pose to prevent cervical strain.