Vinys
All movements

Lower back, hips, knees, shoulders and upper back

Child's Pose: Chair Facing Back

A fully seated rest: sit facing the back of a chair, fold forward, and rest your arms and forehead on the backrest. No floor needed; all the calming benefits of Child's Pose from a chair.

Restorative60 to 300 seconds
Start your first sessionFree · no credit card · your session is built from it

How to do it

  1. 1

    Turn a chair around and sit facing its back

    Feet flat on the floor with your knees open on either side of the backrest, so nothing is squeezed or loaded.

  2. 2

    Stack your forearms on top of the backrest

    One forearm over the other, close enough that you are not reaching for them.

  3. 3

    Lower your forehead onto your forearms

    Once your head is fully supported your neck can stop working. Your seat keeps taking your body weight the whole time.

  4. 4

    Build the height up until nothing is holding

    If the backrest sits low, add a folded blanket or cushion on top of your arms. If you feel pulled forward, shuffle closer to the backrest.

  5. 5

    Stay for one to five minutes, breathing quietly

    Let the breath settle into the back of your ribs, then lift your head last when you come up.

What to watch for

If your forehead only reaches your forearms by leaning your weight forward off the seat, the rest point is too low and your back is holding you there. Build it up with a cushion so your hips stay heavy in the chair.

Ways to adjust it

  • Adjust chair height / extra chest support
  • Reduce hip flexion
  • Do not force sitting to the heels
  • Torso and head supported by the chair
  • Knees stay open and unloaded

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Child's Pose versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

One movement is a start. A session is the thing.

A few questions about your body and how it is today, and Vinys builds a session around it, including which movements to leave out.

Start your first session

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.