As the “Yoga Quote” above mentions, I often refer to Cat/Cow pose as “my Tin Man pose” since it’s like the oil can in The Wizard of Oz. It warms and lubricates the spine giving it flexibility. This is a great pose to do every day.
Cat Pose (Sanskrit term: Marjaryasana) / Cow Pose (Sanskrit term: Bitilasana) and
Side-to-Side Stretch (Sanskrit term: Anyonya Paksa Nayana)
Benefits of Cat Pose:
- Massages the internal belly organs
- Strengthens the abdominals
- Increases the suppleness of the spine
- Improves Circulation
Benefits of Cow Pose:
- Stretches the chest and neck
- Strengthens the upper and lower back
- Stretches the abdominals
- Increases the suppleness of the spine
- Massages the internal belly organ
- Improves Circulation
Benefits of Cat/Cow combined:
- Helps transform the energies of the second and third chakras into the higher centers
- Helps release serotonin, the mood-regulating chemical that takes you from grumpy to all good
Benefits of Side-to-Side Stretch
- Also increases the suppleness of the spine
- Stretches the muscles along the sides of the upper torso
Alignment Cues: Start in tabletop position with wrists (flat palms)
(or fists if you’re taking care of your wrists)
underneath your shoulders and hips over knees. Generating the movement with your tailbone, exhale as you bring your chin toward your chest and your navel toward your spine (Cat Pose).
I like to hold the first Cat Pose moving the arch a little more toward the middle and less in the shoulders. It’s a small adjustment that opens the vertebrae and feels awesome. Sometimes I’ll cue a little tailfeather shift left to right maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch for a wee little release while holding the first cat pose.
Next, always starting the movement with your tailbone first, inhale as your nose gently lifts, your belly comes toward the floor, and your neck stays soft—or as I often say “no wrinkles in the back of your neck.” (Cow Pose)
Continue alternating moving slowly between cat and cow at your own breathing pattern. Once I completed my YogaFit trauma-informed trainings, I started adding in the option of rocking forward and back as you went up and down to add the rocking which helps to further soothe the nervous system.
Beginner’s tip: Still unsure on your form or new to yoga? You can try a practice pose.
If you have difficulty rounding the very top of the upper back in cat pose, ask a friend to lay a hand just above and between the shoulder blades to help you activate this area. (Not shown.)
Other versions:
Seated Cat/Cow Pose: Done while seated, this pose is very grounding. Try it in “easy-seated”/cross-legged pose,
or in a chair—be it your office chair, or on the airplane (not shown)!
Seated Cat/Cow Pose flow: In cross-legged pose, you can turn this into a flow that gets deeper and deeper with progressively more rocking motion.
Standing Cat/Cow Pose: I like to do this version with legs a little wider than hip distance. Bring your hands, fingertips pointing inward, onto your legs as you bend your knees. Exhale as you curl your chin to chest and navel toward the spine for Cat Pose, then inhale as you gently backbend raising the head, keeping the neck soft, and shifting your belly out, Cow Pose.
I like to do the Cat Pose version of this when I’ve been walking or standing for a long time and my back feels compressed—ahh!
Warm-up version of standing Cat/Cow Pose: Another standing Cat/Cow Pose to try is a more subtle Cat/Cow done during warm-up. Standing with feet hip distance apart, inhale, and reach up with arms spread wide overhead and a slight backbend, Cow Pose .
Then as you exhale, wrap your arms around you as you fold into yourself with bent knees and hinge at the hip, kind of like hugging yourself in chair pose, Cat Pose.
Do this flow several times as part of your warm-up.
Additional stretch that could follow tabletop Cat/Cow Pose:
Side-to-Side Stretch (Sanskrit term: Anyonya Paksa Nayana)
This is another wonderful pose was introduced to me by Beth Marik, a YogaFit® instructor at the time. She said it helped to release the Sacroiliac joint (“SI” Joint). It was love at first stretch for my previously injured “SI” joint!
Alignment Cues: From tabletop (perhaps after cat/cow), exhale as you turn your head to the right, and at the same time curl your lower body to the right as well, forming a letter “C” with your body—kind of like you’re a dog looking at its tail.
As with all yoga poses, don’t push the stretch. Just enjoy a gentle left side of the body stretch. Inhale back to tabletop. Repeat on the other side. Alternate a few times back and forth at your own breathing pattern.
Tabletop Cat/Cow and Side-to-Side Stretch done together will greatly reduce any stiffness caused by too much sitting and inactivity.
Contraindicated for:
Neck concerns? Keep the head in line with the torso.
Wrist concerns? Choose knuckles down or “fists as shown above.
Sources: YogaJournal.com, Beth Saw’s YogaFIt®, and Essential Yoga,An Illustrated Guide to over 100 Yoga Poses and Meditations, by Olivia H. Miller., Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, Unlock Your Inner Potential Through Life-Changing Exercise by Shakta Kaur Khalsa., Whole Living Magazine.
