Cat Cow Pose is a yoga sequence that helps improve body posture and balance. Along with strengthening the spine, increasing flexibility and eliminating back pain. This position is a blend of two poses, cat pose and cow pose. It is often used as a warmup yoga practice to prepare the body for intense postures. The subtle movement of the cat cow pose involves arching your back and lifting your chest, which is also the foundation of many advanced yoga poses. The cat cow pose is typically a part of the traditional hatha yoga that helps to strengthen the spine and improve body awareness.
The cat cow pose Sanskrit is known as Bitilasana Marjariasana. Bitilasana means cow pose, the word “bitila” means cow in Sanskrit and marjariasana means cat pose, as the word “marjari” means female cat in Sanskrit and asana means pose. These names symbolise the shapes which one makes while performing the cat cow pose.
How to do Cat Cow Pose
The Bitilasana Marjariasana is one of the simple poses in yoga which can be done as a warm up exercise, relaxation exercise or exercise to prevent back pain. So, let’s see how to do cat cow pose.
- Firstly, come on all fours, i.e. your hands and knees on the mat, with your spine neutral, forming a table-like position.
- Place your palms and knees under your shoulders and hips, respectively.
- Press your finger firmly to the ground by wide-spreading them and take a deep breath.
- Now, slowly breathe out and round your back by pulling your stomach in, bringing your belly button towards the spine.
- Tuck your chin towards your ribs while pushing your middle back upwards, and focus on your midriff muscles. This makes the cow pose.
- Now, gently breathe in and curve your back, pushing your belly towards the floor, lifting your tailbone and chest towards the ceiling.
- Slowly raise your head without cranking your neck, broadening your collarbone. This forms the cat pose.
- Now, steadily move between the two poses, contemporising your breath with your pose.
- You can perform this sequence 5-10 times or as long as you are comfortable.
This short sequence of yoga can have an immense impact on building strength in your mindful core and reducing belly fat.
Cat Cow Pose Inhale Exhale
The cat cow pose inhale exhale sequence should be a synchronised way to get the maximum benefit of the pose. Here are some tips to understand breathing step-wise.
- Inhale while you prepare for the cat pose, and exhale when you start with the pose.
- Exhale when you prepare for the transition from cat pose to cow pose, and inhale deeply while you start with the pose.
- To explain it, simply inhale, arch your back, and exhale while you round your back.
Cat Cow Pose Benefits
This pose is a beginner-friendly yoga asana that has several benefits. With regular practice and breath synchronisation with the asanas will escalate your overall mental, physical and emotional health. So, let’s discuss in detail the cat cow pose benefits.
1. Spinal Flexibility
The Bitilasana Marjariasana stimulates the vertebrae with the regular arching and rounding of the back muscles, which helps to improve mobility and flexibility in the spine while reducing stiffness in the whole central body.
2. Strengthens the Spine
With poses that engage the core muscles, including the abdominal and spine muscles, the bitilasana marjariasana helps stabilise the body. The sequence switching between the two poses helps build the core strength and improves the robustness of the spine.
3. Rectifies the posture
Just like any other spinal yoga pose, this, too, has the potential to rectify the body posture that has been caused due to hunching over the devices. The consistent practice of this simple yoga asana can significantly activate the vertebrae leading to correction of the body posture.
4. Stretches Neck and Upper Back
The bitilasana marjariasana engages the neck and back muscles and gives a subtle stretch to the neck and upper back which helps to eliminate any kind of stiffness or pain in that portion caused due to the sedentary lifestyles of today.
5. Alleviates Lower Back Pain
The gentle movement of switching from one asana to another in this pose has proved helpful in reducing the tension and discomfort in the lower back, leading to painful movements.
The slow movement of stretching and releasing the spine not only helps in pain management but also improves body awareness.
6. Stress Management
The mindful breathing techniques, synchronised with the asanas in the bitilasana marjariasana, act as a magic wand for stress management. The conscious process of inhaling and exhaling while practising this pose helps to increase the oxygen supply in the body, resulting in reduced stress and improved mood.
7. Improves Gut Health
The rhythmic movement of the asana gently compresses and relaxes the abdominal muscles, and increases blood flow in the gut region. As a result, stimulates the digestive organs, aiding better digestion and relieving constipation to improve overall gut health.
8. Regulates Menstruation
One of the most common issues raised with the women of today is the irregular menstrual cycle due to unhealthy and sedentary lifestyles. The bitilasana marjariasana comes as a rescue for the women facing challenges with their monthly cycles. The consistent movement in the lower abdominal region with conscious breathing helps women combat irregular menstruation by increasing the blood circulation in the region.
9. Stimulates Blood Circulation
This pose stimulates the blood flow in the abdominal and spinal regions with mindful motion and breathing techniques. The improved blood flow also nourishes your mind, body and soul, leading to an enhanced health and happy life.
10. Mind and Body Connection
The bitilasana marjariasana serves as a powerful tool to form proximate mind and body connections. Like any other yoga exercise, this asana also has the motive to stimulate self-awareness, with the uniform combination of movement and breathing techniques helping you to discover inner wisdom. This will help you to unlock your true potential.
Cat Cow Pose Variations
The cat cow pose is an effortless yoga asana performed easily by beginners and is practised as a warm up sequence for regular yoga practitioners. But if you are a beginner and want to ease the pose a little more or are well-versed with the basic step and want to add depth to it for further benefits. Here, we will see the Cat Cow Pose Variations that can be practised according to one’s flexibility.
Chair Cat Cow Pose
Are you someone with physical limitations who cannot go on the floor? Then don’t worry; the cat cow pose can be performed even while sitting on the chair. So, let’s check the steps.
1. Sit comfortably on the chair with your hands on your thighs.
2. Inhale and arch your back while lifting your chest.
3. Exhale as you change your pose, rounding your back and tucking your chin in your chest.
Seated Cat Cow Pose
If you are someone who cannot go on your knees and arms but can comfortably sit cross-legged, then the seated cow cat pose is the variation that can help you seamlessly. Here are the steps.
1. Sit comfortably in sukhasana or cross-legged on the floor with your hands placed on your thighs.
2. Breathe in as you curve your back, extending your chest forward.
3. Breathe out and bend your back with your belly pressing in.
Standing Cat Cow Pose
If you want to engage your thighs and knees in the exercise then, you can think of incorporating the standing cow cat pose, which brings a better apprehension of your pelvis and hips movement. Let’s go to the steps.
1. Stand straight with your legs and hips apart and knees a little bent.
2. Your hands on your thighs and exhale with rounding your back.
3. Now, inhale while you arch your spine.
Extended Cat Cow Pose
The extended cat cow pose is for those who have mastered the regular pose and want to have a variety in the asana for targeting more areas. Here are the steps to modify.
1. Come on all fours as you do for a regular cat cow pose.
2. While you perform the cow pose that rounds your back, stretch your arm forward instead of placing your hand on the floor.
3. This will give your arm a stretch while deepening the backstretch.
Dynamic Cat Cow Pose
This dynamic pose is nothing but a traditional cat-cow sequence that involves quicker movements. Once you are well-versed with the regular cat cow pose you can think of incorporating this dynamic pose. The faster movements in this pose will loosen your spine, enhancing blood circulation while leaving you feeling energetic throughout the day.
Conclusion
The cat cow pose is one of the simplest yoga asanas that can be practised by beginners who want to kick start their yoga practice. This pose is also done by skilled practitioners as a part of warming up exercise. By practising this pose daily, one can reap several benefits, including back pain, discomfort in the spine, digestion issues, stress management and much more. The beauty of any yoga asana is that it can be modified according to the flexibility of the performer, similarly, this bitilasana marjariasana can also be tailored in compliance with the one performing with different variations. Hence, this simple yoga pose can be a boon with its variation and immense benefits.
