Meow? Moo? Ah, cat and cow’s, the ever-popular components of a typical yoga warm-up. Whether you’re a teen yogi or adult, these poses sound kind of funny. Who would've put cats and cows together? Not exactly a mammalian match made in heaven.
But in yoga, the two go together like peanut butter and jelly. First of all, both postures take their names from their likenesses to the animals they’re named after. The cat refers to the arched-back position of a frightened kitty. The cow posture refers to a dip in the spine – most notably in the lower back – as one might see on a grazing cow.
The purpose of cat and cow stretches is to warm up the spine, which is one of the major anatomical focuses in yoga. There is some twisting and bending of the spine in most yoga classes; engaging in movement without a proper warm up can cause injury. On the flip side, when the spine is adequately warmed up, it is more than happy to slide into bendy postures it might not otherwise be accustomed to taking.
The spine is considered a warehouse for energy, kundalini energy to be precise, so by treating the vertebral column with care we can enhance our health and well being. And warming it up with some cat and cow stretches is a great way to get started. Spinal twists can activate certain muscles, release tension in other muscles, stretch the body, and help to release toxins that accumulate in our internal organs.
Tips for Cat and Cow Pose:
- Come into a tabletop position, palms down, knees down on the mat or floor, with palms stacked under shoulders and knees stacked under hips.
- Next, on an exhale, press the palms into the mat as you round the spine, pressing the upper back towards the ceiling and feeling an expansion across the shoulder blades. Curl the tailbone under, engaging abdominal muscles. Turn the gaze under, towards your thighs. All the air should have been pushed out of your lungs at this point. Congratulations, you’re in cat.
- Now, take a deep breath in as you draw the belly towards the mat, creating a dip in the spine. Shoulder blades press together, chest pulls forward and your gaze floats up towards the ceiling. Push the tailbone out as if you’re going to make an imprint on the back wall with your butt. Silly, for sure, but that’s the way it’s done. You’re now in cow pose.
Flow from cat to cow several times, making sure that you come into cat on an exhale and into cow on an inhale. Linking breath to movement is an important component of yoga and will help you to reap the maximum benefit from the postures.
Cat and Cow Bliss
When I first started doing yoga, I would always feel self-conscious doing cat and cows in class. I knew everyone else around me was doing it too, but I just felt silly, wagging and rolling my spine, tucking my butt under and pushing it out. It seemed exaggerated and awkward. But somewhere along the line, I forgot about the awkwardness and started to realize that it just felt really good.
Really, really good. Especially after having been cramped in a desk chair for several hours, or all day. The spine undergoes compression on a daily basis, as a result of our simple regular movements – or lack thereof. By moving the spine gently, as we do with cat and cow stretches, we introduce movement and encourage circulation. This basically makes the body happy. We each get only one body to carry us through life; the sooner we can learn to treat it with care and respect, the better off we’ll be for the long run. Realizing this, I came to be an eager practitioner of cats and cows, and you can too.
Meghan Meade is a twenty-something health coach, yoga teacher, high school track coach, freelance writer and an aspiring personal trainer who documents her experiences with transitioning into the health and wellness world on her blog, www.strugglemuffins.com.
This article has been reviewed by Dr. Tara Cousineau, Ph.D.
