Cat And Cow Stretching Pose: Boost Flexibility And Relieve Muscle Tension

The new year is just around the corner. This quick-stretch routine will help you relax and prepare your body for an energetic day.

What you need to know:

• What is the cat and cow stretching pose?
• How to do the cat and cow stretch?
• What are the benefits of the cat and cow stretching pose?

What is the cat and cow stretching pose?

This daily stretching routine combines two yoga poses: Majariasana and Bitilasana. In addition to stretching your back and neck muscles, this exercise also stretches your hips and abdomen, making it a good exercise before a workout.

Repeat the exercise in the video 5 times. Before getting up, stay in the cat position, breathing in and breathing out slowly another 5 times.

How to do the cat and cow stretch?

To do a cat-cow stretching pose, follow these steps:

• Start on all fours, positioning your hands shoulder-width apart and your knees aligned directly under your hips. 
• Inhale and move into cow pose by lifting your sit bones (the two rounded bones at the base of the pelvis that you sit on), pressing your chest forward, allowing your belly to sink, lifting your head, relaxing your shoulders away from your ears, and gazing straight ahead.
• Exhale and move into cat pose by rounding your spine outward, tucking in your tailbone, drawing your pubic bone forward, lowering your head, and lengthening the back of your neck.
• Repeat for ten inhalations and exhalations.

What are the benefits of the cat and cow stretching pose?

This 2-minute stretching exercise helps all the body’s muscles to work, improving your blood circulation. It also releases muscle soreness caused by sitting in one position all day. The central part of this process is maintaining balance and transitioning from one pose to another in a continuation, like a dance. Some of the cat-cow stretching pose benefits include:

1. Increased flexibility:

   This exercise helps improve your flexibility as you slowly progress to other complex poses. It will warm your body at the start of your workout.  

2. Relieves menstrual pain:

   These yoga exercises relieve menstrual cramps and pain. It is also used as a part of prenatal yoga. 

3. Strengthens the spine:

   The cow stretch activates the tailbone, while the cat stretch releases upper back and neck tension and improves blood flow.

4. Massages the abdominal organs:

   This cat-cow stretching pose can stimulate and strengthen organs such as the adrenal glands and kidneys.

5. Improves breathing:

   It can improve breathing because it is a breath-synchronized yoga pose that requires you to move with your breath. It helps you coordinate your movements with your breathing. You can imagine your breath moving up and down your spine like an ocean wave.

6. Aids digestion:

   The gentle rocking motion of the cat-cow stretching pose massages your internal organs, which can promote healthy digestion. The stretch and contraction of your abdominal muscles can also promote movement and relaxation in your digestive tract.

Whether used as a standalone practise, a warm-up, or a meditative flow, the cat-cow stretching pose benefits practitioners of all levels. So, you must include it in your exercise routine and reap its benefits.

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You may also be interested in the following blogs:

• 5 Exercises For Knee Pain And Strengthening
• 2-Minute Stretching: Boost Flexibility And Relieve Muscle Tension

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