Yoga For Beginners: Doing The Cat Pose
The cat pose is a yoga pose that helps both your mind and body to relax.
This pose assists with strengthening your back muscles.
The cat pose is extremely easy to do: start by getting on your hands and knees.
Be certain that your knees are positioned directly under your hips, and your wrists and elbows are positioned under your shoulders.
Your head should be straight, and your eyes should be looking down toward the floor.
Take a deep breath, and as you let your breath out, arch your spine up toward the ceiling much like a cat does when they are ready to pounce.
Inhale again, and go back to the position where you first started on your hands and knees.
This pose is mostly meant to strengthen the back area, but it is also focused on strengthening the uterine muscles.
The cat pose is also ideal for relieving stress and increasing flexibility in the back and neck muscles.
If you seem to have trouble rounding the top of the upper back area when performing the cat pose, then you can ask someone to put their hand slightly above and in between your shoulder blades to help you get into position.
If you have back problems or are pregnant, then there is a modified method of this pose that you can do.
Begin on your hands and knees as you would in the original pose.
Then, take a breath and raise one leg straight out in back of you while inclining your head upward.
As you let your breath out, lower your leg.
Take in a breath again and do the same thing with the other leg.
The lifting of your legs is meant to relieve some of the pressure from your lower back.
The cat pose is not recommended for those who have suffered a recent back or neck injury or who have chronic back or neck pain.
If you have any type of health problem related to your back or neck, then you may want to consult with your doctor before doing any type of yoga poses.
Many times, people combine the cat pose and the cow pose, as this helps to make you more aware of your breathing techniques as well as stretch the length of the spine and the shoulders.
It works like this: after you complete the cat pose, take in a deep breath and lower your stomach to the floor as you arch your back.
At this point, your tailbone should point upward and the lower part of your back should be curved.
Finish by tilting your head up towards the sky, breathe in, and then breathe out.
This pose assists with strengthening your back muscles.
The cat pose is extremely easy to do: start by getting on your hands and knees.
Be certain that your knees are positioned directly under your hips, and your wrists and elbows are positioned under your shoulders.
Your head should be straight, and your eyes should be looking down toward the floor.
Take a deep breath, and as you let your breath out, arch your spine up toward the ceiling much like a cat does when they are ready to pounce.
Inhale again, and go back to the position where you first started on your hands and knees.
This pose is mostly meant to strengthen the back area, but it is also focused on strengthening the uterine muscles.
The cat pose is also ideal for relieving stress and increasing flexibility in the back and neck muscles.
If you seem to have trouble rounding the top of the upper back area when performing the cat pose, then you can ask someone to put their hand slightly above and in between your shoulder blades to help you get into position.
If you have back problems or are pregnant, then there is a modified method of this pose that you can do.
Begin on your hands and knees as you would in the original pose.
Then, take a breath and raise one leg straight out in back of you while inclining your head upward.
As you let your breath out, lower your leg.
Take in a breath again and do the same thing with the other leg.
The lifting of your legs is meant to relieve some of the pressure from your lower back.
The cat pose is not recommended for those who have suffered a recent back or neck injury or who have chronic back or neck pain.
If you have any type of health problem related to your back or neck, then you may want to consult with your doctor before doing any type of yoga poses.
Many times, people combine the cat pose and the cow pose, as this helps to make you more aware of your breathing techniques as well as stretch the length of the spine and the shoulders.
It works like this: after you complete the cat pose, take in a deep breath and lower your stomach to the floor as you arch your back.
At this point, your tailbone should point upward and the lower part of your back should be curved.
Finish by tilting your head up towards the sky, breathe in, and then breathe out.
Source...