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Cat Pose (Marjariasana) [mar-jar-ee-ahh-sanna]
You will feel new life and energy come to your
spine after practicing this pose. The internal organs are
also given renewed blood flow, helping to improve their action.
Wonderfully new awareness of the spine will continue throughout
the years of practice.
- Come onto the floor on
your hands and knees. Bring the hands shoulders width apart
and the knees hips width apart. Become aware of the length
and quality of the breath.
- Inhalation slowly and
completely. Open the chest forward, arching the back downward.
Feel the tailbone and the crown of the head lifting equally
towards the sky. Try to feel every part of the back, every
vertebra.
- Exhale slowly and completely as you begin
to arch the back upward. Tuck the tailbone and the crown
of the head moving them towards each other. Use your hands
and knees for support in the pose. Try to feel every part
of the back, every vertebrae.
- Continue to coordinate the breath and the
movement of the spine, repeating this sequence and many
times as is desirable. When you are ready to stop simply
bring the spine back to a neutral position, parallel to
the floor.
Benefits:
- Excellent for creating a supple spine, preventing
injury
- Purifies the blood
- Reinvigorates the spine and internal organs
- Relieves tension in the low back
Modifications/Cautionary Notes:
- Continuously have your awareness on you back
and neck. Do not over extend.
- Use the hands and knees for support without
using them to push yourself more deeply into the arch. The
body will naturally open with time.
- It may be beneficial to rest in Child's Pose
after ending the sequence.
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