Last updated: December 21, 2023
What Does
Fetal Pose Mean?
Fetal pose is a resting and restorative yoga pose that is so-named because it looks like a baby in the womb. It is often practiced as a way to slowly come out of corpse pose.
In fetal pose, the yogi lies on his/her side with knees drawn into the chest, the head resting on the lower arm, and the upper arm wrapped around the legs. Pregnant women should only practice the pose on the left side.
Fetal pose is sometimes called side fetal pose or a variation of child's pose and is also known by the Sanskrit name, parsva garbhasana.
Yogapedia Explains Fetal Pose
Fetal pose relaxes the mind and body and creates a sense of security. Although there are few contraindications for fetal pose, yogis with right hip or shoulder injuries should use care in the pose and avoid it if it causes pain. Pregnant women should practice fetal pose on the left side only.
A closely related posture is fetus pose (also called fetus in the womb pose), which is an intermediate asana that requires more flexibility. In Sanskrit, it is called garbhasana. From lotus pose, the arms thread between the thighs and calves. Then, the arms lift the legs so that the body balances on the buttocks and the fingers grasp the ears.
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