Cat cow is one of everybody’s favorite yoga poses.
Not only is it easy to do, it feels good.
This pose gives you the opportunity to increase the flexibility of your spine, to massage your internal organs and to begin to tune in to your body to feel what’s actually going on in this moment.
Here’s how to perform cat cow pose, or bitilasana as it is known in yoga:
- Get down on your hands and knees onto a yoga mat or cushy rug.
- Bring your hands and knees shoulder width apart.
- Spread your fingers all the way, lift your collarbones and wrap your shoulders by rolling the outside edge of your arms towards your midline.
- Inhale and tilt your tailbone up to the ceiling as you pull your belly to the spine. This is known as dog tilt in your pelvis.
- Exhale and round your entire back. Push your buttocks forward, bring your chin to your chest and pull your belly to the spine. This is known as cat tilt in your pelvis.
- Continue alternating.
- As you breathe, tune in to your back and notice your tight spots.
The lead photo of this article shows me rounding my spine like a cat.
Here is what the second phase of the movement looks like.
Continue the movement for one minute, arching and curling, inhaling and exhaling, relaxing your spine and working out the kinks as you go.
Cat cow is the third exercise in the series of yoga poses I recommend for people if you have injured your lower back. You can read about the entire series at this link.