Recess Break! 10 Yoga Poses Your Inner Child Will Love

We are all born full of confidence and love. As children, we are infinitely loved, infinitely loving, and we are enough. This fuels our natural curiosity, joy, and playfulness. As we grow up, though, we tend to neglect our inner child, allowing cynicism and fear to creep in as we encounter stressful life experiences.

But there’s good news! It’s possible to rediscover your inner child. By utilizing techniques to live more mindfully you can free your inner child.
 

Practice These 10 Poses to Rediscover Your Inner Child:

Take the time to notice the small things, and let go of worry. Practice these ten poses to heal your inner child and ignite that glorious wild child within you! She will thank you!
 

1. Lion’s Breath (Simha Pranayama)

Lion’s Breath has a playful nature, and the breath control activity encourages a sudden release of energy. This releases stored negative energy. Just try completing a few rounds of Lion’s Breath without smiling and feeling your inner child giggle.
 

 
How to Practice Lion’s Breath:

• Find a comfortable seat
• Place your hands, palms face down, on your knees with fingers extended out
• Big inhale through your nose
• As you exhale, open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue as far out as possible, and make a loud “ha” sound
• Repeat 4-6 times

2. Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Child’s Pose is wonderfully nurturing and nourishing. The placement of your “third eye” – the spot just between your eyebrows – on the mat creates an instant calming effect on your brain. Child’s Pose signals to your inner child to relax and let go of worries.
 

 
How to Practice Child’s Pose:

• Begin on all fours, in Table Top Pose
• Bring your hips to your heels (decide if knees together or knees wide feels best for you)
• Allow your torso to melt over your legs, bringing your forehead as close to the mat as possible
• Extend your arms out in front of you, palms face down
• Hold for 5-10 breaths

3. Balancing Butterfly Pose (Balanced Baddha Konasana)

Like Seated Butterfly Pose, this asana stretches the inner thighs and groin muscles, soothes menstrual cramps, and stimulates the digestive organs. One way to reconnect to your inner child is to challenge your balance in a fun, safe way.
 

 
How to Practice Balancing Butterfly Pose:

• With feet together, find a squat and place hands on the floor in front of your feet
• Turn your knees outward while keeping balls of the feet and heels together
• Lift the head and torso up and bring hands to knees or to Prayer Mudra in front of the heart
• Hold for 5-10 breaths

4. Supine Twist Pose (Supta Matsyendrasana)

Supine Twist Pose helps to release your lower back and shoulders, and improve digestion. It also helps to quiet the mind, giving you the opportunity to let go of things that no longer serve you. By twisting out negative energy, you heal yourself and set your inner child, who is bursting with love, free.
 

 
How to Practice Supine Twist Pose:

• Find Corpse Pose
• Bring your right knee into your chest and give it a big, loving hug
• Drop your right knee over the left, crossing your body
• Extend your right arm out in the opposite direction of your knee, and allow your gaze to follow
• Keep your shoulder blades pressing toward the mat
• Hold for 5-10 breaths on each side

5. Twisted Lizard Pose (Parivrtta Utthan Pristhasana)

Twisted Lizard Pose is a detoxifying pose that generates a sense of grace and ease. It’s important to give your inner child the time to slow down in this pose, move with intention, and wring out all the bad stuff.
 

 
How to Practice Twisted Lizard Pose:

• Find Low Lunge Pose
• Wiggle your right foot to the outside of your right hand, towards the right edge of your mat
• Roll onto the outside edge of your right foot, allowing the right knee to move towards the ground
• Twist from your core, sweeping your right arm back
• Bend at your left knee, pointing your toes up toward the sky and reach for your foot (option to use a yoga strap)
• Pull the foot in toward the body to stretch the thigh
• Hold for 5 breaths on each side

6. Sugarcane Pose (Ardha Chandra Chapasana)

Sugarcane Pose is a fantastic pose to challenge your balance in a playful and exciting way. If you wobble or fall, who cares? What is important is the attitude you bring with you. Get right back into the pose and focus on how powerful you are! Your inner child will shine bright!
 

 
How to Practice Sugarcane Pose:

• From Forward Fold, extend your left leg behind you, coming into a one leg forward fold
• Open your hips, stacking your left hip on top of your right hip
• Bring your left heel towards your glute
• Reach back with your left hand and take a hold of your lifted foot
• Open your chest toward the ceiling as you draw your shoulder blades away from your ears
• Hold for 5 breaths on each side

7. Firefly Pose (Tittibhasana)

At first glance, Firefly Pose can look scary, but with focus and confidence, you can do it! Dig deep inside of yourself and take note of just how powerful you are mentally and physically. Then, release your fears and take flight. Your inner child will feel more powerful than ever.
 
Note: This pose creates a deep stretch of the hamstrings and hips. As such, please be sure that your body is properly warmed before practicing this pose
 

 
How to Practice Firefly Pose:

• Find a Standing Forward Fold with the feet mat-width apart and a generous bend in your knees
• Bring your fingertips between your legs to your mat behind your heels, wiggling back until your shoulders are behind your legs
• Place the palms of your starfish hands on the floor just behind your heels, with the fingers pointed forward towards the feet
• Bend the knees deeply and drop the hips down toward the ground
• Shift your center of gravity as you sit back on the chair your arms create
• Extend the legs as much as you can, lifting one foot at a time
• Make your arms as straight as possible
• Keep the chest lifted and the gaze forward, spread the toes and smile
• Hold for 5 breaths

8. Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)

Wheel Pose is said to ignite all of the seven chakras, helping to keep the body in harmony. This pose literally turns your perspective upside-down, creating the space for you to shatter your fears. Wheel Pose heals your inner child while you see the world differently.
 

 
How to Practice Wheel Pose:

• Set up for Bridge Pose (your feet close to your glutes, hip-width distance apart)
• Place your hands alongside your ears, elbows to the sky and fingers pointing back towards your body
• On an exhale, firmly press into your hands and feet to lift your hips skyward
• Engage your core rather than your glutes
• Draw your shoulders away from your ears
• Hold for 5-10 breaths

9. Wild Thing Pose (Camatkarasana)

Wild Thing Pose is a combination of a backbend, a balancing pose, a hip opener, and a core strengthener. The child within us is waiting to come out and play! Take the opportunity in Wild Thing Pose to let your inner wild child out! Be free. Be wild! Rawr!
 

 
How to Practice Wild Thing Pose:

• Find a three-legged dog with your left foot lifted
• Bend your left leg, and drop your foot to the ground (similar to Wheel Pose)
• Press into your right hand as you lift your hips and heart
• Rotate your left foot so your toes are pointing out and in line with your knee
• Lift your left arm up and over, and gaze towards your left fingertips
• Hold for 5 breaths on each side

10. Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)

Happy Baby Pose is a major hip opener, it releases the spine and sacrum, and it stimulates your sacral chakra. This pose awakens your inner child and boosts your mood. While in the pose, smile, rock from side to side and giggle.
 

 
How to Practice Happy Baby Pose:

• Lying on your back, bring your knees to your chest
• Grab the pinky toe side of each foot and separate the feet wide
• Stack your ankles over your knees, bringing your knees toward your underarms
• Pull down on your flexed feet while keeping your tailbone drawing towards your mat
• Rock from side-to-side or straighten one leg at a time for a deep hamstring stretch
• Hold for 5-10 breaths

Oh Hey, Inner Child. Nice to See You Again!

Self-love is just as valuable as the love you give to others, and your inner child is keenly aware of just how beautiful, fearless, and incredible you are. All you need to do is take time to rediscover and set her free. With these 10 poses, you gave your inner child the attention and freedom she needs to heal.

Love and light <3

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