Cat/Cow

One of the most popular and beneficial postures among our beginning yoga meditators is Cat/Cow. There are several variations of this pose. However, one of the most difficult parts for those new to the posture is perfecting the table top @ the beginning. I chose this first video because the instructor really has a beautiful, flat back. A great model for those of you that need someone to compare yourself to when trying this @ home.

Once you have the basic posture down, if you want to add to it, you can. I really recommend staying with the basic pose for a year or two. When you feel that you would like to extend the posture to increase the benefit, you might try the variation offered by the instructor in the second video. I really like the way she explains each step as she moves from cow to cat to child's pose and then to cobra and back.

Youtube can be a great resource, but be aware that anyone can post a youtube video...whether they know what they are doing or not. If you would like to purchase some videos to try @ home, I recommend the Gaiam company. They tend to have competent instructors a couple of which are Rodney Yee and Susan Deason.

On some occasions, we have students that would like to try Cat/Cow, but have knee issues. I was delighted when I found this third video with Rodney Yee. Here he not only demonstrates how to practice Cat/Cow using a chair, he has an entire routine that should be very useful for those individuals that can not or should not kneel on the floor. Notice his posture as he moves from one pose to the next.

I hope you find these videos helpful as you practice Cat/Cow @ home.

Namaste,
  S.