I Added 9 Sets of Cat-Cow Yoga Poses to My Exercise Routine Every Day for 2 Weeks – Here’s What Happened to My Body

They say cats have nine lives, so I did nine rounds of this popular yoga pose every day for two weeks to see if I noticed a change, if any. It’s a joke, of course.

Cat-cow pose – Marjaryasana Bitilasana in Sanskrit – is integrated into yoga sequencing to mobilize the spine, open the back and stretch the upper body, including the abdomen. It is now used in warm-up routines for a wide range of workouts, as its mobilization and strengthening qualities are simply excellent.

I was surprised by how nine rounds of cat-cow made me feel every morning. Here’s what happened when I tried it every day for two weeks and why I’m sticking with it.

How to do cat-cow pose

Cat-Cow Yoga Pose – Yoga with Adriene – YouTube

Look on it

I recommend rolling out one of the best yoga mats for home practice so you can support your hands and knees in a tabletop position. From there, start with a neutral spine (flat back) and follow the steps below to learn how to do cat-cow:

Place your shoulders over your wrists, your hips over your knees, and place your knees hip-width apart and hands shoulder-width apart.
Send your gaze down
As you inhale, push your stomach toward the mat and direct your chin, chest, and gaze toward the ceiling; it’s a cow
As you exhale, pull your chin toward your chest and your belly button toward your spine, and push your upper back toward the ceiling; it’s a cat
Use your breath to gently guide your body between the cat and the cow while moving with control and through to the end of both poses.

Yoga is primarily about your breathing (pranayama), even beyond the asanas or movements found in the practice. Connecting the body and breath has a positive impact on the nervous system and helps you move and align properly.

We know from growing research that breathing can reduce anxiety and improve stress levels and mood; in the case of a cow cat, try to inhale while lowering your navel and exhale while pulling in your stomach.

When you move, so does your spine, but you’re only looking for a gentle, hollow arch (flexion and extension) to guide it through that range of motion. Unlike my gingerbread eating habits during the holidays, nothing should be excessive here.

Is cat-cow good for you?

The cow cat is a real spinal mobilizer and can relieve back tension. Additionally, it is very accessible to most yoga beginners, unless you are told that it is a contraindicated exercise for you. Some yoga teachers even use it to relieve sciatica symptoms.

Here’s what happened when I added it to my daily routine for two weeks.

I felt much calmer

Before I do anything else, I lay out a mat each morning, do rounds, then splash my face with cold water and continue my morning routine. And wow, does that calm me down.

As I mentioned, breathing and yoga have a positive impact on the nervous system. Indeed, the combination of guided movements and breathing can help regulate the autonomic nervous system by moving you towards the parasympathetic – the part of the system designed for calm, rest and repair.

Cat-cow helps regulate breathing as you inhale through the cow and exhale through the cat. Just nine very slow, controlled laps transformed my mindset each morning. Since I’m neurodiverse, these are the kinds of habits I should adopt rather than doom scrolling on my phone.

It took off my sticky back

The mobility exercise improves the range of motion of the upper body. In the cat phase, you move to the back of the body stretching the back, neck and shoulders, and the cow helps stretch and open the stomach, chest, hips and front of the neck. This means that it is a full-body exercise.

Nine daily sessions helped me open up my body and unstick my tight back before another long stint at my desk to write. Speaking of which, I recommend trying these desk exercises if this sounds familiar.

I learned more about my form, but I continued to move intuitively

I’m not a certified yoga teacher and I certainly haven’t completed my 200 hour training (although I’ve definitely racked up that many classes), so I can’t correct in the same way I do when I teach fitness classes. .

That said, I wanted to dig deeper into proper alignment, so I did some research. Turns out a few minor tweaks could give me more bang for my buck when running cat-cow.

When pulling the belly button down, it is common to push through the hips and press the belly down, putting pressure on the lower back; this is especially true when trying to get as deep into the posture as possible.

I learned to move within my own range of motion, which may feel very different from someone else’s. In short, don’t force it. Cats may have nine lives, but not my back.

Instead, I moved intuitively, learning to undulate from the tailbone to the neck, training more gently on the stiffer days, and only creating space where my body allowed. I now try to move through the entire spine, not just flexing and extending the lumbar spine and going through the hips.

Verdict

After a few weeks of making fun of my cat every day, I honestly still feel great. It’s a very gentle way to get your body moving and prepare your back for more vigorous movements while activating your core and stretching your entire body. So what’s not to like?

I learned from yoga teachers that placing your hands on blocks can be helpful for your range of motion, or that you can practice seated cat-cow to take the strain off your knees if you want to try cat-cow but need to less impact.

The key to a cow cat’s success is to avoid excess. This involves not forcing your back, neck or chin up or down and controlling both phases of the movement at all times, running through your entire spine. So far I’m more relaxed and laid back each morning, so I think the cat-cow might be here to stay.

If you suffer from neck pain, are pregnant, postpartum, or have an injury, talk to a qualified physician or yoga instructor first before trying Cat Pose. cow.