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Child's pose

How to do the Child's pose correctly: it targets the Lats, back line, hips, the hold is 30–45 s, and the steps below keep it on the muscle instead of the joint.

This is mobility information, not physiotherapy and not a diagnosis. Pain is the border: a stretch that hurts at the attachment, sharpens, or sends pins and needles down the limb is loading a nerve or a tendon, not a muscle — stop and, for anything that persists or radiates, see a clinician. After an injury or surgery, stretching follows the treating clinician's protocol, not this page.

How to do it

1. Kneel on the floor, big toes together, and sit the hips back toward the heels.
2. Walk the hands forward and let the chest sink toward the floor between the knees.
3. Reach the arms long, palms down, and let the forehead rest on the floor or a cushion.
4. Breathe into the lower back and ribs for 30 to 45 seconds; knees can be spread wider for room.

Why this stretch exists

Child's pose is the end-of-session stretch: it lets the lats, the back line and the hips settle at the same time, from a position of total support, which is why it closes every routine on this page. The lats are the overlooked piece — they attach from the upper arm to the lower spine, and tight lats pull the shoulders down and the back into the same slump the desk creates, so the reach of the arms in this pose lengthens tissue that almost no other stretch reaches. It is also the one stretch that can be held long without fighting: supported positions can be dosed in minutes, not seconds.

Knees that object to deep flexion get the wide-knee version. Anyone whose knees or hips cannot take the kneeling position at all gets the same stretch face-down on a bed with the arms reaching overhead.

Hold and frequency figures: the standard stretching and range-of-motion literature — 15–60 second holds, two to four rounds per muscle (about 60 seconds total), two to three sessions a week for measurable gains, static holds after activity or as their own session, dynamic movement before. The injury-prevention position: the systematic reviews — stretching does not prevent injury or soreness; it buys range of motion and comfort. Checked 2026-09-06.

Frequently asked questions

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