Balasana (child’s pose)

Balasana (child’s pose)

To do this pose:

Kneel at the back of your mat. You can tuck your toes under if you feel any stress on your knees or untuck them and sit back on your heels. Keeping your toes together, spread your knees out wide. Walk your hands forward on your mat to rest your belly and chest between your knees and your forehead on the mat. You can also put pillows or a bolster between your legs to support your upper body. Stretch your arms out in front of you, palms down on the mat. Exhale and sink deeper into your hips. 

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It stretches the low back. One of the most common injuries among nurses is back pain. Regularly stretching out your low back and hip muscles can help prevent and heal these injuries. 
• It’s restorative and deeply relaxing. Restorative yoga poses are usually held for anywhere from 5- 60 minutes so that you can truly and completely relax your body. After 12 hours of physical and mental stress, restorative poses can help relax and rejuvenate your mind and your body. This pose in particular has been shown to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps you relax even deeper and heal feelings of fatigue.