Cat-Cow
Spinal mobilisation in a quadruped position — alternates between rounded and arched back.
Execution
- Start on hands and knees — hands under shoulders, knees under hips.
- Inhale, cow: drop the belly, lift the chest and gaze up and forward.
- Exhale, cat: round the spine to the ceiling, chin to chest, tail tucked.
- Move with the breath for 8-12 reps — no fast, jerky transitions.
Tips
- Perfect before and after long sitting — mobilises the whole spine.
- Movement should flow, not snap between end positions.
The simplest spinal mobilization
Cat-cow moves the spine between the two end positions it should master: full rounding and full extension. For people who spend the day sitting, this is the single most effective minute of movement there is — sitting holds the spine in one position for hours, and that's exactly what it likes least.
The exercise doubles as a good test: if you can't round your back into an arch, or if extending only bends at the lower back, you have a stiff thoracic spine — the most common mobility bottleneck of all.
Execution
Quadruped position, hands under the shoulders, knees under the hips. On the exhale, round the back upward, chin to chest, pelvis tucking under. On the inhale, reverse it: sternum forward, pelvis tilting forward, gaze lifting slightly.
What matters is that the movement travels through the entire spine — vertebra by vertebra, not just at the neck and lower back.
Common mistakes
- Only moving the ends. Head up, hips up, middle rigid — the usual pattern, and exactly the area that needs the movement.
- Too fast. Four to six seconds per direction, paced with the breath.
- Pushing into pain. The movement should feel good; reaching the absolute end range isn't the goal.
Programming
8 to 12 slow cycles, in a warm-up or as a break during the workday. Fine and useful to do daily.