The yoga postures cat (marjaiasana) and cow (bitilasana) are two of my favorites, they feel incredible on my spine and help to loosen up the muscles of my back. If you are one of the 16 million Americans struggling with chronic back pain, I would high recommend adding cat and cow into your daily stretch routine. These postures have also been said to be incredibly beneficial for posture and balance.

For many individuals it is near impossible to get on the floor and into a table top position to perform traditional cat/cow due to a variety of reasons. To make these incredibly beneficial stretches more accessible I am going to demo them seated for you! As you can see in the pictures below I am performing seated cat/cow. On your inhale you will look up and arch your back, opening your heart to the sky and lifting your chin, and on your exhale you will round your back and bring your chin towards your chest.

Please note that these postures (as with all yoga postures) they may look slightly different in your own body, be gentle with yourself and move in a way that honors your body today.

The beautiful thing about yoga is that much of it can be done in a chair, or using a chair for assistance. For quite some time I taught chair yoga, and it was one of my favorite experiences. I hope you enjoy the variation on the stretches below.

If you have any questions about these postures, or chair yoga please comment below and let me know!