Our human erect posture is very much dependent on various stages of crawling before and after sitting.
Vital stages of babies after birth, which have specific order and pattern, are most essential and important for their future health. –
1 – Knee elbow position in mothers womb – where anterior body is in flex position except feet at ankle joint are in extension.
2 – After birth , lying on their back on tripod/ supta Baddha Konasana pose
3- Babies natural movements of hands and legs – where they make efforts to extend and expand their hands for opening front body cavities and legs to expand the vertibral axis vertically.
4 – rolling on the belly with lifting head, where secondary curvature of neck develops. Rolling is mostly clockwise movement, which the child does while entering this world.
5- Sliding forward movement – Scooting, sliding forward with hands. Most crucial and most beautiful movement of child.
then pushing alternate big toe body moves forward like wave and here movement of foot begins for further movement of pelvic girdle, here movement is from foot and opposite hand. Alternate flexion , extension of knee happens from alternate movement of foot with extension of hip with opposite hand. With trial – error efforts, they slide on their belly forward like zig zac manner, this latticing movement of the torso is most essential for physical stability and locomotion in vave pattern. This is the exact movement in our human walk but vertical to the ground. Which get lost in automation, and we have forgotten also. This is the basic cause of early degeneration of joints in today’s modern lifestyle as well as soft tissues such as vessels, organs and glands, etc.
Once children get expertise in this sliding reptilian movement, then with knees and palms, they elongate their spinal column. This is the quarderpet pose where they keep extending their spinal column, preparing themselves for classic crawling . They keep moving around in this classic crawling. In this crawling and in-between moving front and back, learn to sit on hips touching on their legs. The position of feet is inside. Here, W – sitting is harmful where foot with leg is rotated outside and knees are nearer,
With efforts, they bring their one one leg skillfully forward, where their rotator muscles of hip start activating for rotation of pelvis around the head of thigh bone . This sitting is tripod thighs spread wide foot facing each other. Here, the secondary curvature of the lumbar spine begins to develop. After that, once they get expertise in classic crawling on knees and palms, they lift their torso with hands upward, and they begin to stand with support. At this period, they started crawling on stair cases , very important stage before standing on their own and walking .
All these sequntial movements and poses are for extension and expansion to become erect and physically stable in both static and dynamic poses or movements ( creating gravitational and anti gravitational force through sequential flow of musculature) for proper physical and physiological development for further locomotion of walking.
They will be able to sit well without support by the time they are 9 to10 month old.
When babies transition from crawling to sitting and crawling, then transition to their hands and knees. Oftentimes, babies will lunge forward over their hips to move into a crawling position.
With variations of crawling, where they learn extension with sliding movement of the torso with the movement of hands and legs. Here, they prepare their vertebral column to become erect at the hip joint.
Around 9 months, the baby started sitting while crawling classically. They make efforts to push their hips back and sit , knees bent with both feet on the same side of the body and at the same time they make efforts on their own to take their legs forward , mostly they take one leg forward first then they succeed to take the other leg forward and the knee is flex . They sit with both legs, bent , thighs spread, and feet facing each other . Here, the most essential movement happens, which is the rotation of hips that is anti version of pelvis around the head of the thigh bones, simultaneous movement of pelvis, and thighs at the hip joint. Here, sequential order and specific direction of flow in movement of muscles that is attached from the torso to hips and thighs to hips. Children unwound these memories of muscles which are stored in our ancient brain. This sequential flow of movement is the most important to extend the vertebral column and the development of spinal curvatures ideally to hold the centre of gravity at the centre.
Always Keep observing their efforts – failure and success – they should do it on their own. You should not break or obstruct them.
After this point , they can hold their head up to look around. Their arms ,legs, and spine are strong enough to keep them erect from falling on the floor when they get up on their hands and knees.
Over a couple of months, babies will gradually learn to move confidently from sitting position to being on all fours ( quadruped pose). They soon realise that they can rock back and forth, and their trunk is parallel to the floor. Maybe somewhere around 9 or 10 months. They will figure out that pushing off hips with their knees gives them just the boost to go mobile
As they gain proficiency, they will learn to go from crawling position back into sitting.
They make efforts to lift themselves upward holding us , crossing obstacles of pillows, cushions This will help improve their confidence of lifting their torso upward with hands ,agility and speed but don’t leave them alone at all.
At their sitting stage – tripod position/baddhakonasana – where thighs are spread wide with knee flexed and spinal column is straight. The baby rocks on their rockers (sitting bones) and swings forward and backward on these rockers.
While they sit on their legs, they learn to take one leg forward with foot on the ground and knee bend, then they succeed to take both leg forward and sit in squat position. They can rock easily in this pose.
This rocking movement of rockers is important for the hammock movement of the pelvis at the level of the hip joints on which the vertebral Axis/ spine with head moves like a reverse pendulum.
Here to get hammock movement of the pelvis, which is essential to adjust the centre of gravity to bring physical stability for various movements of the human body.
All these are preparation to get Physically stable for sitting ,standing, and walking.
Physical stability is vital for our vertical and biped structure otherwise it collapses ( we get signs in early childhood like falling frequently, headache or migraine or leg pain or motion sickness and arthritis at very early age etc…)
What I observed is that we are not at all aware of physical stability and how to work on it even in the name of yogasan, though physical stability is a prerequisite in yogasana so as in health. Efforts within are more important than going from one pose to another or one movement from another from joints.
After baby’s mastered Sitting , crawling and squatting they will soon begin pulling themselves up on something to stand with support, Their support can be anything at their height they helps them feel steady like a piece of furniture or some one or our hand, they make efforts to stand.Anchoring their hands they lift the chest and come up.
Here anchoring rare limbs from rotation of pelvis girdle and lifting of fore limbs/ hands where rotation of shoulder girdle happens with lifting chest.
Here, from both extremities, rotation of both girdles happens. That is, rotation of the pelvic girdle is for anchoring gravitational force downward and from rotation of the shoulder girdle lifting the front body with anti-gravitational force to àdjust the Center of gravity for movement of the torso happens.
Once they get the feel of balancing on their legs ,they will be ready to stand on their own and cruise while holding on to furniture.
Every baby gets the hang of standing differently. When standing on their own, baby will only stand for a few seconds at first, but their ability to stand on their own will get better. They may not actually stand on their own for more than a few seconds until they are about 13 – 15 months old. So falling is expected.
Please, at this stage, do not force them to stand or walk and never use walker.
Follow the safety while they are learning to stand. Unless there is a sign of injury or your baby needs help, it is ok to remain calm when they fall. When babies see their parents staying calm, then they may not get upset either. Give babies a moment to gather themselves and then get back to moving.
What does a baby need to stand without support?
They need to develop their muscular strength to lift and extend their torso with movement of both shoulder and hip girdle with the help of both extremities.These are the same muscles they use for rolling , sliding forward, crawling, tripod sitting and squatting.
After sliding forward and crawling, once they conquer being in quadruped pose while doing forward and backward movement, that is sliding movement of torso while pushing hip backward they try to sit on hips and lift the shoulder girdle while lifting their hands.
Once they conquer this stage of sitting, they make efforts to stand with support and sit down, pushing their hips backward and downward.
This movement gives strength to their legs and prepares them for rocking the movement of hips for further development. As the hammock movement of the pelvis at the hip joint is essential to make us stand, the movement of the central axis is like a reverse pendulum with adjusting the centre of gravity.
These curvatures of the spine are for balancing and for physical stability in any posture and movement.
Once a baby can sit up well on their own, they’ll start moving about, too.We have seen that their early locomotion start before sitting as “creeping” pushing themself around on their stomach, “scooting”crawling on one leg and dragging the other, or a combination of rolling, rocking, and squirming on their stomach, bottom, or back.
Babies adopt a different pattern of movements when standing up from sitting.This action requires the use of momentum and rapid development of the force of extensors to lift the hips up off the floor.
When babies first pull up to standing, they quickly learn to stand up through half, kneeling and extending themselves.
At this time, by 12 months, they make efforts to crawl up and climb the stairs.
They can crawl up a few steps on all fours.
Remember that little ones who are more exposed to stairs, their quadriceps muscles start activating. Crawling upward on stairs is an essential movement for standing on their own without support and further to walk on their own.
