Child’s Pose and the Gift of Being God’s Beloved
What if you don’t have to earn God’s love?
What if your posture of worship, gratitude, and surrender wasn’t one of striving but resting?
There’s a posture in yoga that captures this so simply, so profoundly: Child’s Pose.
Knees drawn in. Arms reaching forward or tucked by the sides. Forehead to the ground. It’s a shape of softness, stillness, and humility. And it’s a shape we see reflected in one of the most powerful moments in Scripture when the prophet Elijah bows before God at the end of a long drought, not in desperation, but in trust and reverence.
A Posture of Praise and Waiting
In 1 Kings 18:42 (NRSV), we read:
“So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; there he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees.”
This comes after an intense and dramatic moment: a showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. After years of drought in Israel, as the people of Israel worshipped other gods, Elijah challenges the people to come back to the true God. The prophets of Baal call on their god to send fire but nothing happens. Elijah, with quiet confidence, calls on the name of Yahweh, and fire falls from heaven, consuming the offering.
The people fall on their faces and declare the Lord as God.
And then—after this climactic victory—Elijah quietly climbs the mountain and takes a posture that looks remarkably like Child’s Pose. 
Not standing tall in triumph. Not raising his arms in conquest. But bowed low, face down, knees to the earth.
What Was Elijah Doing?
He had just witnessed the power and presence of God in fire. But the drought wasn’t over yet. There was still more to come. Elijah wasn’t finished asking, and yet, his posture wasn’t anxious.
In this moment, we see something remarkable: Elijah is waiting and worshiping at the same time. He sends his servant to look for a sign of rain. Not once, not twice, but seven times. And all the while, Elijah stays in that bowed posture. He’s in a place of reverence and patience. A place of expectancy and praise.
This is what Child’s Pose offers us: a posture for the in-between. For the space after the fire and before the rain.
We Are Beloved Children
Child’s Pose is a posture of humility but not humiliation. It’s not about shame or guilt. It’s about resting into the truth of who we are: beloved children of God.
As Psalm 139:14 (NRSV) says:
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.”
We don’t come before God as servants trying to earn a place at the table. We come as children already welcomed, already loved. Child’s Pose reminds us of this. It invites us to stop striving. To stop performing. To stop trying to prove ourselves.
It’s a place where we receive.
Humility, Gratitude, and Grace
Child’s Pose shapes our heart not just inward, but outward.
- It invites humility: we remember that our belovedness isn’t earned and neither is anyone else’s.
- It invites gratitude: we give thanks that we can rest in God’s presence, that we don’t have to carry everything ourselves.
- And it invites grace: because if we’re invited in just as we are, so is the person next to us.
Child’s Pose becomes a practice of reorienting our lives around God’s mercy. We bow not because we are worthless, but because we are loved. We bow because we trust. We bring all of our being just as we are before God because we know who God is and who we are in God.
When to Return to Child’s Pose
Come into this posture when you need to be reminded:
- That your worth isn’t based on what you do.
- That rest is not a reward, it’s a rhythm of grace.
- That God meets you not only in strength, but also in surrender.
Come into it when you feel gratitude and want to say thank you.
Come into it when you feel unsure and want to wait in trust.
Come into it when you feel tired and just want to be held.
Like Elijah, you don’t need to stand tall to be faithful. Sometimes, the most faithful thing you can do is bow low and trust that rain is on the way.
Explore More Christian Yoga
Child’s Pose shows up in many of our Christian yoga classes, often as a place of beginning, returning, or resting. It’s a sacred space on the mat where you can lay it all down and remember who you are: God’s beloved.
If this posture speaks to you, we’d love to invite you to explore our YouTube channel. You’ll find a library of classes that combine Scripture, prayer, movement, and breath created to help you make space for God in your body and your life. We’ve linked a class below that is all prostrate postures, including childs pose.
Come to the mat. Rest like Elijah.
Let your posture become your prayer.
