Pose guide
How to improve your Child’s Pose
Hips sinking toward your heels, arms long, forehead down and neck soft. Here’s the rubric Posewise measures it against, and what to train when you miss.
The rubric
Posewise checks three things from the side. Here’s what good looks like.
- HipsSettling back toward your heelsSettlinghip vs heel
- ArmsLong and relaxed in front of you150–185°shoulder · elbow · wrist
- NeckForehead down, neck softRestingshoulder · ear
What’s holding it back
Lengthen your shoulders and lats, and your arms will rest long without strain.
Tight lats and shoulders can make a long forward reach feel like work. In a resting pose, it shouldn’t.
Doorway lat stretch20s a side
Full-body reach30s
Walk your fingertips forward, then let your arms go heavy.
Release your neck, and your head will rest heavy on the mat.
The neck is usually the last thing to let go. Slow breathing helps it soften.
Seated neck release20s a side
Belly breathing60s
Let your forehead rest down and your neck go completely soft.
And two cues: let your hips settle back toward your heels (widen your knees or slide a cushion under your hips if they don’t reach), and let your arms rest long and relaxed in front of you.
Not sure which one is yours?
Posewise watches your Child’s Pose through your iPhone camera, tells you which of these is holding you back, and builds a six-minute daily plan to fix it. Video never leaves your phone.
Join the betaFree during the beta · iPhone
Quick answers
Should my hips touch my heels?
Not necessarily. Let them sink as far as is comfortable; widen your knees or put a folded blanket between your hips and heels.
What if my forehead doesn’t reach the floor?
Rest it on a block, a cushion or your stacked fists. The point is to let your head be supported.
Should my knees be together or apart?
Either. Knees wide gives your belly and hips room to sink; knees together rounds your back more. Pick whichever feels more restful.
Where should my arms go?
Forward for a gentle shoulder stretch, or back alongside your body, palms up, to let your shoulders rest. Both are correct.
How can I check my Child’s Pose form at home?
Film yourself from the side. Or use Posewise, an iPhone app that measures your Child’s Pose with the camera, speaks corrections as you hold it, and builds a six-minute daily plan for what it finds.