Cat Pose Yoga: An Important Stress Buster

By Patricia | November 4, 2008
Cat Pose Yoga: An Important Stress Buster

Cat Pose Yoga or Bidalasana helps initiate movement from the center and in coordinating breath and movement. These are two of the most important aspects of the practice of Yoga postures. Central alignment depends on pelvic positioning. Hence, consider the hip as the center of every pose. It’s important because the spine is the most important line of energy in every yoga asana. Besides, the way the spine stretches from the center depends exclusively on which way the pelvis turns.

Types Of Cat Pose Yoga

  1. Start the pose on all fours – that is on your hands and knees in what is called the “tabletop” position. See that you set place knees directly under your hips and that your elbows, wrists and shoulders are in a straight line and perpendicular to the floor. Keep your head loose and in a neutral position. Your eyes should be looking at the floor.
  2. Keep your hands right under your shoulders and knees right under your hips. Your fingers should be fully spread with your middle fingers pointing out. See that your back is flat and horizontal and keep your gaze on the floor. This is the “neutral” position because when the pelvis is in neutral, the spine will also be fully extended.
  3. Don’t sag your shoulders. Rather, create a line of energy through both arms by pressing down into the hands and lifting up out of the shoulders. Move back and forth like this a few times. Now, while exhaling, sag your shoulders and while inhaling, stretch out your arms and lift them out of your shoulders.
  4. Inhale deeply and when exhaling, tilt the hips into a Cat Slant. To do this gently pull your abdominal muscles backward near your spine, tuck in your tailbone and gently contract your buttocks. Press your hands firmly downward so that you remain lifted above your shoulders. Now, rounding your spine upward, raise the center of your back up toward the ceiling, curl your head inward and fix your eyes on the floor between your knees.
  5. With a deep inhalation, return to the "tabletop" position on all fours – that is, on your hands and knees.

If there is any difficulty in performing this yoga asana, place a folded Yoga blanket under the knees. This will help insulate you against pressure and pain.

Benefits

  • The Cat Pose yoga helps loosen the spine and entire back. It also frees your neck and shoulders while stretching the back and front of your body and.
  • The Cat Slant stretches the muscles of the back and contracts the abdominal muscles. Bidalasana also benefits overall health by stimulating the digestive tract and spinal fluid.
  • It also helps improve circulation through the spine and core.
  • Cat yoga Pose is also great for managing stress and is considered an important stress buster, especially after a tedious meeting or a hard day’s work. This is because it provides a gentle massage to your abdominal organs and spine while stretching shoulders, the middle, right up to the upper back.

Contradictions:

The Cat Pose should be avoided in case of chronic back pain or recent injury.

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