Yin Yoga · Beginner

Happy Baby

Happy Baby yin yoga pose
Save this pose

At a glance

Hold
2–5 minutes
Level
Beginner
Target areas
inner groininner thighshipslower back
Meridians
liverkidneyurinary bladder
Props
strap
Counterpose
Windshield wipers — knees bent, feet wide, dropping the knees gently side to side — to neutralise the hips. · Rest on your back with the legs long, or a short knees-to-chest hug.

Time your hold

Three soft ticks and a bell when you're done, so you can close your eyes and stop watching the clock.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back and draw both knees in toward your armpits.
  2. Take hold of the outer edges of the feet, the ankles, or the backs of the thighs — whatever you can reach without straining.
  3. Stack the ankles above the knees so the shins are roughly upright, soles facing the ceiling.
  4. Let the knees draw down alongside the ribs, and keep your head and shoulders resting heavily on the floor.
  5. Find your edge — about 60–80% of your capacity, a real stretch but never forcing — then be still and let the shape do the work.
  6. Loop a strap around each foot if the feet are hard to reach, so you can relax the arms.

Why practice it

Before you go

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Take care

  • Keep the head and shoulders down throughout — this is a passive opener, not a place to curl up off the floor.
  • If your lower back lifts off the mat, hold behind the thighs instead of the feet so the spine can stay grounded.
  • Ease off during menstruation or if a lower-back condition dislikes this position, keeping the range shallow.

Coming in & out

Into the pose

  • From lying on your back, hug both knees into the chest, then open them toward the armpits.

Out of the pose

  • Come out slowly — release the feet, place them on the floor with knees bent, and rest for a moment.

Common questions

What does Happy Baby stretch?

Happy Baby opens the inner groin and inner thighs (the adductors) and draws the hips into external rotation, while gently releasing the lower back and sacroiliac joints. Because you can draw the knees down with your arms, you decide how deep it goes.

How long do you hold Happy Baby in Yin Yoga?

Around 2 minutes if you're actively drawing the knees down with your arms, or up to 5 minutes once you relax the arms and let the weight of the legs do the work. Come out a little sooner if you ever need to.

Is Happy Baby safe for the lower back?

For most people, yes, as long as the head, shoulders and hips stay heavy on the floor. If your lower back rounds and your hips lift off the mat, hold the backs of the thighs instead so the sacrum can stay grounded. Many people also keep the range shallow during menstruation.

What's the difference between Happy Baby and Frog?

Both open the inner groin and adductors, but Happy Baby does it lying safely on your back with the hips supported, while Frog works the same lines face-down and tends to go deeper. Happy Baby is the gentler, more accessible of the two.

Practice it

In a routine

Lower-Back Release 25 min · A gentle 25-minute Yin routine to release lower-back tension — length, decompression and hip release, held slowly with a built-in hold timer. All levels.

More classes like this

Yin Yoga for Hips Every class in the library for this part of you Yin Yoga for Lower Back Every class in the library for this part of you

In a class

90-Min Silent Yin 90 min · A silent 90-minute Yin class — a deep full-body stretch held long and slow with minimal cues, to shut the world out and settle. All levels. Silent Yin 60 min · A 1-hour silent Yin class — a deep full-body stretch held long and slow with minimal cues and no props. Meditative and calming, for all levels. 60-Min Full-Body Yin 60 min · A one-hour no-props Yin class — breath, meditation and long, slow holds for a full-body stretch that leaves you looser and calmer. All levels.

Related poses

Butterfly Butterfly is a grounding Yin Yoga forward fold with soles together that opens the inner thighs and hips while lengthening the back line and calming the mind. Frog Frog Pose is a deep yin groin and inner-thigh opener. Learn the Tadpole and Full Frog variations, cues, hold time, props and cautions. Dragonfly Dragonfly is a wide-legged seated Yin Yoga fold that opens the hamstrings, inner thighs and back line. Learn how to practice it safely, with props and cautions. Reclined Swan Reclined Swan, or Eye of the Needle, is a gentle figure-four hip opener done on the back — kind to the knees. Learn the cues, benefits, hold time and cautions. Reclined Twist Reclined Twist is a calming yin wind-down pose that releases the spine, lower back and outer hip. Cues, hold times and gentle disc-safe cautions.

Put it all together

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