WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:03.469 Hey, everyone, and welcome to Yoga with Adriene. 00:00:03.469 --> 00:00:04.304 I am Adriene. 00:00:04.304 --> 00:00:07.608 And today, we are going to learn Cat-Cow. 00:00:07.608 --> 00:00:12.346 Which is one of my favorite things in the entire universe. 00:00:12.346 --> 00:00:14.615 So I'm happy to share it with you today. 00:00:14.615 --> 00:00:16.884 Cat-Cow is great for happy spine, 00:00:16.884 --> 00:00:18.652 massages the internal organs, 00:00:18.652 --> 00:00:21.588 stretches the belly, builds muscles in the back, 00:00:21.588 --> 00:00:25.325 and can also reduce stress. 00:00:25.325 --> 00:00:26.927 Which we all need to do. 00:00:26.927 --> 00:00:28.996 I don't think we will argue about that. 00:00:28.996 --> 00:00:32.399 So hop on the mat and let's learn Cat-Cow. 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:35.469 (lighthearted music) 00:00:43.810 --> 00:00:48.712 Okay, so we're going to begin on all fours. 00:00:50.384 --> 00:00:54.855 And we can pad the knees with a blanket, 00:00:54.855 --> 00:00:57.824 or we can double up the mat. 00:00:58.692 --> 00:01:00.093 In fact, let me just show you that really fast. 00:01:00.093 --> 00:01:02.562 This is a great trick if you're working on hard floors 00:01:02.562 --> 00:01:04.131 and you don't have a blanket. 00:01:04.131 --> 00:01:07.834 You can peel the mat up and double it up here, 00:01:07.834 --> 00:01:10.504 or quadruple. 00:01:10.504 --> 00:01:12.039 Triple, quadruple it up. 00:01:13.240 --> 00:01:16.577 And it becomes a nice little padding for the knees. 00:01:16.577 --> 00:01:21.181 Ta-da, so use a blanket if you like, 00:01:21.181 --> 00:01:23.050 or double up on the mat. 00:01:23.050 --> 00:01:27.120 Okay, so together, we'll come to arrive on all fours. 00:01:28.689 --> 00:01:29.723 And right away, of course 00:01:29.723 --> 00:01:31.358 I wanna think about my foundation, 00:01:31.358 --> 00:01:33.327 that which is touching the earth. 00:01:33.327 --> 00:01:36.630 So I'm gonna spread my palms as wide I can, 00:01:37.564 --> 00:01:39.967 and place them underneath the shoulders. 00:01:39.967 --> 00:01:43.036 So wrists underneath the shoulders. 00:01:43.036 --> 00:01:45.973 I'm gonna check in with my legs. 00:01:45.973 --> 00:01:48.108 Knees directly underneath the hips. 00:01:48.108 --> 00:01:50.243 And checking in with my foundation, 00:01:50.243 --> 00:01:52.312 I will therefore press the tops 00:01:52.312 --> 00:01:54.281 of my thighs into the earth. 00:01:54.281 --> 00:01:56.850 So rather than just hanging out on all fours, 00:01:57.718 --> 00:02:00.988 I'm already considering my foundation. 00:02:00.988 --> 00:02:04.825 And not just that, but pressing up and out of it. 00:02:04.825 --> 00:02:08.662 So finding this what we call tabletop position. 00:02:08.662 --> 00:02:10.364 And to do that, I'm really gonna extend 00:02:10.364 --> 00:02:11.765 through the crown of the head. 00:02:11.765 --> 00:02:15.435 By maybe taking my gaze down between my two index fingers. 00:02:16.837 --> 00:02:18.705 And then maybe drawing the shoulders, 00:02:18.705 --> 00:02:20.474 Not maybe, how about we draw 00:02:20.474 --> 00:02:23.076 the shoulders away from the ears. 00:02:23.076 --> 00:02:25.879 My yoga mentor will be like, what's with all this maybe? 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:29.883 No maybe, let's roll the shoulders away from the ears. 00:02:29.883 --> 00:02:32.285 See if we can create a long neck here. 00:02:32.285 --> 00:02:35.055 And then, particularly for us gals, 00:02:35.055 --> 00:02:37.090 but for everyone, just check in with the lower back 00:02:37.090 --> 00:02:40.160 by drawing the naval up towards the spine. 00:02:40.160 --> 00:02:42.863 So sometimes we get caught in this nice pelvic tilt, 00:02:42.863 --> 00:02:44.931 which is lovely. 00:02:44.931 --> 00:02:48.035 But we'll want to come into the tabletop position. 00:02:48.035 --> 00:02:50.637 So straightening that out. 00:02:50.637 --> 00:02:53.173 So there's kind of a lot of activity going on here. 00:02:53.173 --> 00:02:55.509 I'm pressing up and out of my palms. 00:02:55.509 --> 00:02:57.110 I'm engaging the pelvic floor, 00:02:57.110 --> 00:02:59.046 pressing into the tops of the feet, 00:02:59.046 --> 00:03:01.581 drawing my naval to my spine, 00:03:01.581 --> 00:03:03.150 shoulders away from the ears, 00:03:03.150 --> 00:03:04.918 long beautiful neck here. 00:03:06.286 --> 00:03:07.120 Then of course, 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:08.989 I'll begin to come into my breath (exhales). 00:03:10.524 --> 00:03:13.193 Maybe first just noticing the natural rhythm, 00:03:13.193 --> 00:03:15.262 the natural ebb and flow of the breath. 00:03:15.262 --> 00:03:17.731 And then beginning to stir it up, play with it, 00:03:17.731 --> 00:03:20.067 see if I can extend the inhale (inhales). 00:03:21.635 --> 00:03:23.637 And extend the exhalation (exhales). 00:03:26.373 --> 00:03:30.777 I'm starting collect tiny beads of sweat on my forehead. 00:03:30.777 --> 00:03:32.079 One, because it's kind of hot in the room. 00:03:32.079 --> 00:03:33.547 But two, because I'm working here. 00:03:33.547 --> 00:03:36.583 I'm already creating a full body experience for myself, 00:03:36.583 --> 00:03:38.118 engaging the core (inhales). 00:03:40.020 --> 00:03:41.655 Connecting from the crown of the head 00:03:41.655 --> 00:03:42.856 to the tip of the tailbone. 00:03:42.856 --> 00:03:45.225 Okay, so this is actually Tabletop position. 00:03:45.225 --> 00:03:48.428 This is the preparatory pose for Cat-Cow. 00:03:48.428 --> 00:03:51.832 So I'll inhale and break this line in the spine. 00:03:51.832 --> 00:03:55.669 Scooping my heart forward, pelvis tilts here, 00:03:55.669 --> 00:03:59.706 as I shine my heart forward, gaze can come forward here. 00:03:59.706 --> 00:04:02.242 I'm drawing my shoulders away from the ears, 00:04:02.242 --> 00:04:03.677 and I'm continuing that action 00:04:03.677 --> 00:04:05.345 that I had in Tabletop position 00:04:05.345 --> 00:04:08.348 of pressing up and out of the earth. 00:04:08.348 --> 00:04:10.584 Rather than just collapsing into my bones. 00:04:10.584 --> 00:04:13.920 So inhaling, long belly. 00:04:13.920 --> 00:04:15.655 Then on the exhale, opposite. 00:04:15.655 --> 00:04:18.125 So I'm gonna start at the tailbone. 00:04:18.125 --> 00:04:21.962 Curl my tailbone under, travel up the spine, 00:04:21.962 --> 00:04:24.664 draw the naval up towards the sky, 00:04:25.632 --> 00:04:29.536 chin slowly rotates, tilts towards the chest. 00:04:29.536 --> 00:04:31.037 So we wanna draw the chin to the chest, 00:04:31.037 --> 00:04:32.506 but not forcefully, 00:04:32.506 --> 00:04:35.542 just letting the flow up the spine. 00:04:35.542 --> 00:04:37.778 Allow the crown of the head to release. 00:04:37.778 --> 00:04:38.845 And then same thing here. 00:04:38.845 --> 00:04:40.947 I could be hanging into my bones here. 00:04:41.815 --> 00:04:44.785 Or I can really get my money's worth, as I like to say. 00:04:44.785 --> 00:04:46.620 I can press up and out of the earth, 00:04:46.620 --> 00:04:49.990 really feeling the skin of the back stretch, 00:04:49.990 --> 00:04:51.925 drawing the naval up towards the sky. 00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:56.696 And then on your inhale, on the next inhale, 00:04:56.696 --> 00:04:59.599 same thing, scooping the heart forward. 00:04:59.599 --> 00:05:01.001 Lengthening through the side body, 00:05:01.001 --> 00:05:02.469 pressing up and out of the palms 00:05:02.469 --> 00:05:06.006 as the tailbone lifts up, pelvic tilt. 00:05:06.006 --> 00:05:08.708 Heart radiates forward. 00:05:08.708 --> 00:05:10.677 Nice big breath in. 00:05:10.677 --> 00:05:15.182 On the exhale, tailbone curls under, chin to chest, 00:05:15.182 --> 00:05:18.752 naval draws up, pressing up and out of the palms. 00:05:19.886 --> 00:05:21.821 In kids yoga, here we pretend like 00:05:21.821 --> 00:05:24.925 we're black Halloween cats here. 00:05:24.925 --> 00:05:26.509 We go hisses. 00:05:27.761 --> 00:05:30.831 Now on the inhale, scooping the heart forward, 00:05:30.831 --> 00:05:33.733 I want to just take a quick moment to say 00:05:33.733 --> 00:05:36.308 rather than thinking of this as a U shape, 00:05:36.308 --> 00:05:40.698 the letter U, like I love you, 00:05:40.698 --> 00:05:44.098 or other things, 00:05:45.278 --> 00:05:47.781 rather than thinking of it as a U shape, 00:05:47.781 --> 00:05:49.216 and then an N shape, 00:05:50.483 --> 00:05:51.685 think about it as a journey. 00:05:51.685 --> 00:05:54.221 So the breath is taking us on 00:05:54.221 --> 00:05:56.456 the journey up into that U shape. 00:05:56.456 --> 00:05:59.192 And then we'll connect the breath and the movement 00:05:59.192 --> 00:06:00.694 by then traveling into the N shape. 00:06:00.694 --> 00:06:02.562 So a good example of that, 00:06:02.562 --> 00:06:04.798 if you're like, what did she just say? 00:06:04.798 --> 00:06:08.368 Is when I'm here in this kind of U shape, 00:06:08.368 --> 00:06:10.370 stretching the skin on my belly, 00:06:10.370 --> 00:06:14.441 rather than just thinking about going from here to here, 00:06:14.441 --> 00:06:16.576 I'm gonna really enjoy how I get there. 00:06:16.576 --> 00:06:17.944 So connecting it with the breath. 00:06:17.944 --> 00:06:20.447 I'll maybe start at the tip of the tailbone. 00:06:20.447 --> 00:06:22.182 Start the movement there. 00:06:23.049 --> 00:06:26.386 And then slowly travel up the spine, 00:06:26.386 --> 00:06:29.889 like two little fingertips walking up my spine 00:06:29.889 --> 00:06:33.226 until they continue to walk, walk, walk up my neck. 00:06:33.226 --> 00:06:36.496 And then the crown of the head releases 00:06:36.496 --> 00:06:39.499 only because I finally made it there in my journey. 00:06:39.499 --> 00:06:41.334 And then I begin again, inhale. 00:06:41.334 --> 00:06:43.370 Looping the shoulders away from the ears. 00:06:43.370 --> 00:06:46.373 Again, scooping the heart forward. 00:06:46.373 --> 00:06:49.676 So this is a really great spinal flex warmup. 00:06:49.676 --> 00:06:50.677 And I feel like a lot of times, 00:06:50.677 --> 00:06:52.746 we just blow through it like everything else, 00:06:52.746 --> 00:06:54.180 like really fast. 00:06:54.180 --> 00:06:57.183 So take your time, consider the breath. 00:06:57.183 --> 00:07:00.420 And then marry the breath to the movement. 00:07:00.420 --> 00:07:02.222 Always wanting to marry the breath to that action, 00:07:02.222 --> 00:07:04.024 the action to the breath. 00:07:04.024 --> 00:07:05.625 So here we go, Cat-Cow. 00:07:05.625 --> 00:07:07.827 Inhaling, scooping heart forward (inhales). 00:07:18.405 --> 00:07:20.006 And again, inhaling. 00:07:20.674 --> 00:07:23.543 Heart radiates forward, long puppy belly here. 00:07:23.543 --> 00:07:26.246 Pressing into the tops of the feet. 00:07:26.246 --> 00:07:28.681 In kids yoga, here we say, moo. 00:07:29.516 --> 00:07:31.017 And then, exhaling. 00:07:31.017 --> 00:07:33.953 Traveling up the staircase of the spine. 00:07:33.953 --> 00:07:36.142 Pressing into my palms. 00:07:37.057 --> 00:07:40.973 All of this is on that exhale (exhales). 00:07:46.166 --> 00:07:48.968 Long breath in, long neck. 00:07:50.236 --> 00:07:54.341 And we can close the eyes and really enjoy this (exhales). 00:08:00.447 --> 00:08:02.415 So that was Cat-Cow. 00:08:02.415 --> 00:08:05.952 A wonderful basic foundational pose 00:08:05.952 --> 00:08:09.656 that you can do every day when you wake up, 00:08:09.656 --> 00:08:11.157 or before you go to bed. 00:08:11.157 --> 00:08:12.892 Super yummy for the spine. 00:08:12.892 --> 00:08:13.927 Thanks for being with me. 00:08:13.927 --> 00:08:15.695 If you have any questions, 00:08:15.695 --> 00:08:19.366 leave them in the comments box area. 00:08:19.366 --> 00:08:21.501 I'll get back to you as soon as I can. 00:08:21.501 --> 00:08:23.303 Make sure you subscribe to my channel 00:08:23.303 --> 00:08:26.239 and visit poccox.com. 00:08:26.239 --> 00:08:30.477 Hope you have a beautiful time practicing Cat-Cow. 00:08:30.477 --> 00:08:31.311 Namaste. 00:08:31.311 --> 00:08:34.481 (lighthearted music)