Whether you are warming up for a yoga session or CrossFit class, Cat and Cow Pose is a great way to get started. It requires conscious breathing, which will get you prepared for remembering to breath through exercise. Cat and Cow will improve the flexibility in your spine and provide your abdomen with a gentle stretch. If you have done a lot of ab work recently, you will feel those tender muscles. Best of all, this pose is fantastic for stress relief.
Start in table-top position, with your wrists stacked directly below your shoulders and your knees coming straight down from your hips. Your belly should be drawn in towards your spine, and your tail bone should be slightly tucked under. Look down to your mat to create a straight line from your tailbone, through your spine, and out the crown of your head. Spread your fingers wide, placing your weight into your finger joints rather than your wrist joint.
To start Cow Pose, inhale as you drop your belly and look up. Your tailbone will lift. Open your chest and lift your neck out of your shoulders.
As you exhale, round your back and lower your chin towards your chest. Push the ground away through your fingers. Tuck your tailbone under and draw your belly to your spine.
Following your breath, do 5-7 rounds of Cat and Cow to get the full benefit of the pose.
Join me, Saturday mornings at 8am!
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– Instructor Meredith RichardÂ
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