Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)

Pronunciation and meaning

Ananda Balasana: uh-NUN-duh bah-LAHS-uh-nuh. In Ananda the stress falls on NUN, and in Balasana on LAHS.

Ananda means bliss or joy and bala means child, so the name describes a contented baby lying on its back holding its feet. You do exactly that: lie down, draw the knees wide and hold on.

How to do Happy Baby Pose

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor, and take a breath to let your back settle.
2. Draw both knees in toward your chest, then let them open wider than your ribs, toward your armpits.
3. Reach for the outside edges of your feet, or hold your ankles or shins if the feet are far away.
4. Stack each ankle above its knee so the shins point straight up and the soles of the feet face the ceiling.
5. Gently draw the feet down, so the knees move toward the floor beside your ribs, while the back of the pelvis stays heavy on the mat.
6. Stay for about a minute, or rock slowly from side to side, then let go of the feet and set them down one at a time.

Make it easier

• Loop a strap around the arch of each foot, holding one strap in each hand, when the feet feel out of reach.
• Work one leg at a time, with the other foot on the floor and that knee bent. This is often called Half Happy Baby.
• Place a folded blanket under your head if your chin tips up toward the ceiling.

Pregnancy and after birth

Pregnancy. Adapt. In early pregnancy, take the knees wider than usual so the belly has room, and only stay if lying on your back feels comfortable. Later in pregnancy, lying flat on the back is usually best avoided, so recline on an incline over a bolster and hold the backs of the thighs, or rest on your side with the top knee drawn up on a pillow. Check with your OB or midwife before you start.

After birth. Adapt. Wait until your OB or midwife has cleared you to exercise, and after a caesarean birth until drawing the knees in feels comfortable around the scar. Start with one leg at a time and a very light grip, and stop if you notice heaviness or pressure in the pelvic floor.

For more on practising through pregnancy, see Joahnna Lee Yoga.

Common mistakes

• Letting the lower back and tailbone curl off the floor. Loosen your grip until the pelvis settles back down.
• Holding the feet with the knees tucked narrow over the belly. The knees go wide, beside the body, toward the armpits.
• Letting the feet drift in over the face, so the shins slope and the knees take a twist. Keep each ankle stacked over its knee.

Happy Baby is a playful hip opener done on your back, and it usually turns up near the end of a practice, after the standing work and before rest. It is easy to come into and easy to adapt, which makes it a friendly first pose for tight hips.

In a quiet Yin yoga practice it can be held for longer, with the hands on the backs of the thighs if the feet feel far away.

Afterwards, let both knees fall to one side into a Supine Twist, shoulders heavy on the mat.

Rocking from here with the knees toward the forehead is a soft preparation for Plow Pose, which takes the fold upside down. The open hips you find here are also the first stage of Compass Pose, an advanced seated stretch.