Cat-Cow
Place your hands directly under your shoulders with your fingers facing forward, both knees directly under your hips and feet hip-width apart, dorsiflexed and toes pointing towards your body. Keep your spine in a neutral position, avoiding any sagging or arching. Reposition your hands, knees, and feet as necessary.
Gently exhale and contract your abdominal muscles (check video closely), pushing your spine upwards towards the ceiling, and hold this position for 5 – 10 – 15 seconds. Allow your head to fall towards your chest, maintaining alignment with the spine.
Slowly relax, breathe in, and let your stomach fall towards the floor increasing the arch in your low back and allowing your shoulder blades to move towards the spine. Hold this position for 5 – 10 – 15 seconds before returning to your starting position (spine in a neutral position, avoiding any sagging or arching)
Common Mistakes:
- Shifting the body weight either in front over the shoulders or behind the hips
Bird Dog
Place your hands directly under your shoulders with your fingers facing forward and both knees directly under your hips. Engage your core and abdominal muscles to avoid any excessive sagging or arching. Reposition your hands and knees as necessary.
A. Upward Phase: Slowly extend your left hip (raise and straighten the knee) attempting to extend it until it is at, or near parallel, to the floor without any rotation in the hip and simultaneously flex your right arm (raise and straighten the arm) attempting to raise it until it is at, or near parallel, to the floor without any tilting at the shoulders.
Your goal is to keep both hips and shoulders parallel to the floor and your head aligned with the spine throughout the movement.
B. Downward Phase: Gently lower yourself back to your starting position and repeat with the opposite limbs.
Common Mistakes:
- Rotation at the hips
- Shoulder shrugs
- Movement at the low back that increases lumbar lordosis (low back sagging)
Useful Tips:
- Perform the exercise facing a mirror
- Place a light bar across the hips, parallel to the waistline of your pants for visual feedback on hip rotation and what corrections are needed.
- Use a light bar across the shoulders for visual feedback to shoulder rotation.
- The degree of hip extension and shoulder flexion is determined by the ability to control movement in the low back.
- Only raise the limbs to heights where the low back position can be maintained through the combined actions of the core and abdominal muscles.
Childs Pose
Place your hands directly under your shoulders with your fingers facing forward and both knees directly under your hips and your toes pointing behind you. Reposition your hands and knees as necessary.
Separate your knees towards the outside of the mat. Exhale while embracing your abdominal muscles (check video closely) and hinge at the hips, bringing your glutes to your heels. As you sit back, maintaining the connection between your glutes and heels, extend through your back and arms without pressing on your belly.
Pull the shoulders down and back keeping them away from the ears. Allow your chest to rest between your thighs and your forehead to rest on the floor. Inhale as you lengthen the spine, extending through the upper body, and exhale as you fold deeper into the pose, widening the knees as needed.
Hold this position for 5-10 slow, deep breaths (approximately 30 seconds to a minute).