Cat-Cow

beginner · mobility

Setup

Get on your hands and knees on a mat with the hands under the shoulders and the knees under the hips. Fold a towel under the knees if a hard floor bothers you.

Execution

Start neutral: flat back, neck in line with the spine, eyes on the floor.
Exhale and round the back upward, tucking the chin toward the chest and drawing the navel up.
Inhale and reverse it: let the belly drop, open the chest, tip the tailbone up and look ahead.
Move slowly with the breath so each direction lasts a full inhale or exhale.
Do 8-10 cycles, about 60 seconds, and stop at any point that feels sharp.
Spread the movement along the whole spine instead of letting it happen only at the lower back.

Breathing

Exhale as the back rounds up and inhale as the belly drops. The breath is the metronome here; without it this is just rocking.

Quick cues

Move with the breath.
Move one vertebra at a time.
Share it along the whole back.
Sharp pain means stop.
Like a wave along your spine.

Common faults

Fault: Moving only at the lower back while the upper back stays locked
Fix: Think about pushing the space between the shoulder blades toward the ceiling on the way up, with the hands pressing down.
Fault: Racing through it like a rep-counting exercise
Fix: Tie each direction to a full breath and count breaths instead of reps.
Fault: Cranking the neck all the way back on the belly-down phase
Fix: Take the gaze forward rather than the head back, letting the neck follow the rest of the spine.
Fault: Locked elbows with the shoulders jammed up by the ears
Fix: Soften the elbows, press the hands down and set the shoulders away from the ears.

Equipment

bodyweight, mat

Muscle groups

back, core