How to do Cat Pose

Welcome our monthly Kids Love Yoga (#kidsloveyoga) challenge.

Each month, we feature a new yoga pose in hopes of inspiring you to practice the yoga pose with your children. Check out the collection of pictures below, where children from around the world demonstrate the focus pose. This month’s challenge is Cat Pose.

My daughter loves to visit local farms. Not only do we visit cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, and pigs at each of the farms, but there’s usually a resident cat, too. We can’t leave the farm until we’ve found the kitty cat’s secret hiding place. Back at home, when we talk about our day and read farm animal books, we love to act out the Cat Pose together.

Join us for this month’s pose: Cat Pose

Sanskrit name:  Marjaryasana

Benefits:      

• Stretches the back and neck.
• Lengthens the spine.
• Strengthens the shoulders and wrists.
• Increases blood circulation.
• Calms the mind.
• Eases back pain.

You could pretend to be a cat, tiger, lion, sheep, jaguar, leopard, or cougar.

Description:

On your hands and knees, come to a tabletop position. Spread your fingers. Check that your shoulders and elbows are directly over your hands and that your hips are directly over your knees. Your back should be flat, and your neck should be in a neutral position while you look down towards the floor.

On an exhale, gently drop your head, press your tummy up, round your spine, and tuck in your tailbone. Enjoy the cat stretch. On an inhale, come back slowly and gently to a neutral flat-back position.

Counter Poses:

Cat Pose is usually followed by Cow Pose to create a gentle vinyasa, which is a sequence of flowing movements. This is a helpful practice to link your breath with movement. When you finish with Cat and Cow Pose, rest in Child’s Pose for a few deep breaths.

Variation:

You can also practice Cat Pose while sitting on a chair. On an exhale, simply place your hands on your knees, then gently drop your head, bring your shoulders forward, and round your spine. You can counter Cat Pose with seated Cow Pose. Rest with a neutral, straight spine.

Pictures of children in Cat Pose from our fellow yogi and blogger friends:

YogaKiddos	Yoga In My School
Kidding Around Yoga with Sarah	OMazing Kidz Yoga
Jessica S.	The Good Long Road
Kids Yogaverse App	Kids Yoga Stories
Rondout School	Rondout School

Cat Pose video:

Find the Cat Pose in these yoga stories for kids:

Good Night, Animal World
Good Night, Animal World Yoga Card Deck
Luke’s Beach Day
Sophia’s Jungle Adventure
The ABC’s of Australian Animals
Luke’s A to Z of Australian Animals
Anna and her Rainbow-Colored Yoga Mats

Other kids yoga poses links:

Bridge Pose
Bow Pose
Boat Pose
Downward-Facing Dog Pose
List of Kids Yoga Poses

P.S.  If you enjoyed this Kids Love Yoga challenge, sign up for our weekly Kids Yoga Stories newsletter  (simply add your email address in the box at the top of the page) to find out the next pose.

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