Cat Pose

How to do Cat Pose

1. 1Start on your hands and knees in a neutral tabletop position with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips.
2. 2Spread your fingers wide and press firmly down through your palms, knuckles, and the tops of your feet.
3. 3Begin an exhalation by tucking your tailbone downward and drawing your navel in toward your spine.
4. 4Continue rounding through your middle and upper back, spreading your shoulder blades wide across your ribcage.
5. 5Press the floor away actively with your hands to create space across your upper back.
6. 6Allow your head and neck to release naturally toward the floor, gazing softly between your knees or toward your belly.
7. 7Pause for a moment at the bottom of the exhale before smoothly transitioning to neutral or into Cow Pose.

Benefits

• Stretches the entire posterior chain of the spine from the neck to the tailbone.
• Activates and tones the deep abdominal wall through conscious spinal flexion.
• Broadens and releases chronic tension across the upper back and shoulder blades.
• Promotes healthy circulation and fluid exchange across the intervertebral discs.
• Enhances breath-body coordination and proprioceptive awareness.

Common mistakes and cues

• Shrugging shoulders

  Avoid collapsing into your neck by pressing firmly through your hands and keeping your shoulders drawn away from your ears.

• Bending the elbows

  Keep your arms straight without locking the elbows so the rounding comes entirely from your spine.

• Forcing the chin down

  Allow your head to hang naturally with gravity rather than aggressively jamming your chin into your sternum.

• Dumping into wrists

  Distribute your weight evenly through all ten knuckles and fingertips to prevent excess strain on the wrist joints.

Modifications and props

• Fists for wrists

  Make loose fists with your hands and rest on your knuckles if flat palms cause wrist discomfort.

• Knee padding

  Place a folded blanket beneath your knees to relieve direct pressure on sensitive joints.

• Forearm variation

  Lower onto your forearms or rest them on blocks to completely remove weight from your wrists.

• Seated Cat

  Practice the same rounding motion while seated tall in a chair or on the floor if kneeling is not accessible.

Cautions

• Wrist injuries

  Avoid loading your full body weight onto injured wrists by utilizing forearms, fists, or a seated variation.

• Cervical spine issues

  Keep your neck aligned with the natural curve of your upper back instead of letting the head drop too heavily if you have neck pain.

• Recent abdominal surgery

  Move gently and avoid forceful abdominal contraction until cleared for active spinal flexion by a medical provider.

If you are working with an injury, pregnancy or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practising this pose.

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