cat-cow
Yoga spine stretch
Cat-cow is a yoga sequence that alternates between two poses to stretch and mobilize the spine.
In cat pose, you round your back upward while tucking your chin and tailbone; in cow pose, you arch your back downward while lifting your head and tailbone.
The movement flows with the breath, typically inhaling into cow and exhaling into cat.
Start your practice with a few rounds of cat-cow to warm up the spine.
Column of vertebrae
- vertebraeInterlocking bones of spine
- lumbarOf the lower spine
- thoracicOf the chest region
- cervicalOf the neck
neutral spine · extension · flexion · tailbone · sacrum · core · abdominals · back muscles
Yogic breath control technique
- inhaleDraw air in
- exhaleExpel breath outward
- rhythmPatterned stress and silence
- diaphragmMuscle separating chest, abdomen
expansion · contraction · mindful breathing · coordination · cadence · pacing · slow · controlled
spine
Column of vertebrae
cervical · neutral spine · extension · flexion · tailbone · sacrum · core · abdominals · back muscles · pelvis
pranayama
Yogic breath control technique
diaphragm · expansion · contraction · mindful breathing · coordination · cadence · pacing · slow · controlled · meditation
pose
Deliberate bodily arrangement
warm-up · tabletop · backbend · arch · round · flow · sequence · hatha · breath · inhale
- yogaasana, asanas, pranayama, yoga class, yoga pose
- warm-upsjumping jacks, leg swings, arm circles, hip circles, arm swings
- mindful movementtai chi, qigong, hatha yoga, vinyasa, walking meditation
- stretchesback extension, child's pose, cobra stretch, forward fold, hamstring stretch
- yoga sequencesvinyasa, power flow, opening sequence
- exercisespush-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, cable row