Cat-Cow Pose, known in Sanskrit as Marjaryasana-Bitilasana is a wonderful asana that is great for stretching and strengthening your spine.
The cat part of the stretch releases tension in the head, neck, shoulders and upper back, so is great for those who sit at a desk all day. The Cow part of this short sequence, activates your tailbone, the base of the spine. This small but relaxing and effective yoga sequence will also help flush blood and nutrients through your body.
So, practise cat-cow daily and with joy! It will set you up for a truly positive start to the day, and it’s especially helpful if you’re pregnant to help ease tension through the spine and back.
Coming Into Cat-Cow Pose
- Begin on all fours – hands and knees position, with arms shoulder width apart and feet hip-width apart.
- Engage your core to start, as though you were drawing your belly button towards your spine.
- Keep your head and neck in a neutral position and soften your gaze downward. This is the “cat” part of cat-cow pose.
- Coming into Cow Pose, inhale as you slowly release your belly button down in the direction of the floor, lifting your chin and chest at the same time, as your eyes gaze upwards. You are now in the “cow” part of cat-cow pose (please refer to image above).
- In a slow, rhythmic motion without stopping, come into cat pose. Exhale as you draw your belly button towards your spine and arch your back toward the cleaning as much as you can without straying. The pose should look like an angry cat.
Do five rounds of cat-cow pose, inhaling and exhaling deeply, slowly and steadily.
Note – if you have a sore lower back, or you suffer from general lower back issues, keeping your spine I a neutral position is just fine.
Namaste!
Trudy ????
