Cat Cow

#spine

Start on all fours on your yoga mat. Make sure your hands are flat on the ground and your shoulders are directly over your wrists. Align your hips over your knees. You can vary the position of your feet (press the tops of them down on the mat or curl your toes under). Check your alignment. You’ll want to align your heels with the midpoint of the back of the knee. Then, make sure your shins are in alignment with the knees. Maintain a nice and long neck by setting your gaze a few feet in front of you on the floor. If you’re using a yoga mat, look at the front edge of your mat. Tuck your chin and reach out through the crown of your head so that the back of your neck is long. Move into cat pose first. Tuck your tailbone under, round your spine, tuck your chin, and shift your gaze to your belly. Make the letter “C” with your spine (think of an angry Halloween cat) and take one exhale. Transition through neutral spine and into cow pose. Tilt your tailbone up to the ceiling, arch your back, lift up your head up through the throat and chin, and set your gaze where the ceiling meets the wall. Take a big inhale moving into cow.