This posture is called “happy baby.” If you’ve ever been around infants, you’ll know why. Once these delicious little beings gain some sense of their own bodies, you’ll often find them tummies up, grasping their delicious little feet with pudgy palms and giggling to beat the band. Maybe they roll around a bit, too.
Easy for some, a challenge for others, Happy Baby pose can leave you feeling very exposed and vulnerable. Because you are. But babies don’t know that. They’re just reveling in another new sensation. “Hey couldn’t do this yesterday but sure like it today!”
Yoga teachers are quite fond of saying, “Close your eyes, and no one will see you.” A class full of students with closed eyes can’t see what your Happy Baby looks like and neither can you. When I get into the pose, lightness overtakes me. There’s a confidence that infuses me, because I know that while I might look vulnerable, it is my own inner strength that allows me to assume this vulnerable pose.
Give it a try. On your back, hands reaching through your legs to grasp the soles of your feet. Encourage your knees toward the floor. And smile! Let that inner baby have a laugh, and a side-to-side roll. Give yourself a point or two for choosing a moment or two of vulnerability.
This pose is also called Dead Bug. But who wants to be a dead bug? Not me. I’m going for Happy Baby!