Cat-Cow Stretch: A Gentle Move With Big Benefits

Whether you spend long hours at a desk, wake up feeling stiff or just want to move with more ease, adding cat-cow pose to your daily routine can help.

“Cat-cow pose helps improve spine flexibility and activates your core muscles,” says yoga therapist Paula Brown, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500.

Brown shares how to do the pose and the many ways it can support your body and mind.

What is the cat-cow stretch?

Also known as Marjaryasana-Bitilasana, cat-cow pose, or stretch, is a slow, flowing movement that gently arches and rounds your spine. Traditionally, you start on all fours in the tabletop position and move with your breath: Inhaling as you arch or dip your back (like a cow mooing), exhaling as you round your back (like an angry cat).

It’s often used near the start of a yoga session, but it works well as a standalone stretch, too. It can help loosen your back, engage your core and invite mindful breathing.

Benefits of cat-cow stretch

This simple pose can help make a noticeable difference in how your body feels and moves when it’s used as part of a yoga practice or stretching routine:

• Spinal mobility: It helps reduce stiffness and improve posture by encouraging healthy alignment and flexibility.
• Core strength: You’ll activate not just your belly muscles, but your sides and lower back, too. “It encourages motion in your entire core, all the muscles that support your spine and major organs,” says Brown.
• Joint lubrication: The movement helps circulate synovial fluid, which cushions your joints and reduces friction when you move.
• Stress relief and mindfulness: It promotes deep, steady breathing. “When your chest is closed and rounded, you’re breathing out. When it opens, you’re breathing in,” Brown explains. That breath awareness can calm the mind and ease stress.

How to do cat-cow stretch

You can do this pose on a yoga mat, carpet or any soft surface. You’ll move between two positions — cat and cow — in a steady flow, letting your breath guide each movement. So, you’ll inhale into cow and exhale into cat.

Start with tabletop position

1. Come down on all fours, with your hands in line with your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
2. Draw in your belly slightly to support your back.
3. Keep your head and neck in line with your spine and your gaze toward the floor.
4. If possible, let the tops of your feet rest flat on the floor.

Inhale with cow pose

1. Draw your shoulder blades toward each other to open your chest.
2. Lift your tailbone. Allow your belly to lower slightly.
3. Gently lift your head as you raise your gaze forward.
4. Keep your neck and lower back long (try not to crunch those places). Your spine should be in the shape of the letter “U.”

If it helps, think of a cow grazing in a field, belly hanging low, back arched gently, eyes straight ahead as it looks into the distance.

Exhale with cat pose

1. Exhale as you round your spine, like a cat that’s arching its back.
2. Tuck your tailbone.
3. Tuck your chin toward your chest and gently pull your shoulder blades back so they move away from each other. Your spine should be in the shape of a rainbow.

How long to hold each pose

Hold each position for a full breath in and out. Move slowly and repeat for five to 10 repetitions.

“You can also pause for an extra breath in each pose,” adds Brown. The key is to sync your breath with your movement.

Cat-cow variations and modifications

You can adapt this stretch to fit your needs, whether you’re sitting at a desk or want less pressure on your wrists or knees.

Seated cat-cow

This option is great for office breaks or if you prefer to stay off your knees.

1. Sit tall and evenly balanced in a chair, with your feet flat on the floor and your hands on your thighs. Keep your shoulders down and back, with your belly drawn in slightly.
2. Inhale while you lift and lengthen your tailbone, draw your shoulder blades toward each other and gently arch your back.
3. Lift your chest and look up (cow). (Don’t let your head drop back.)
4. Exhale while you tuck your tailbone, round your spine and tuck your chin (cat).
5. To deepen the stretch, reach your arms back when you inhale to cow and reach your arms forward when you exhale to cat.

Note: Be extra careful when doing cat-cow seated. In this approach, your weight is distributed differently on your spine, and there isn’t as much freedom of movement.

Standing cat-cow

This variation takes pressure off your wrists and knees.

1. Stand facing the seat of a chair while it’s on a mat or against a wall so it doesn’t slide.
2. Keeping your arms straight, place your hands on the seat of the chair, with your shoulders directly over your hands.
3. Position yourself with a flat back, belly drawn in slightly.
4. Keeping your feet directly under your hips, alternate between rounding your back and tucking your chin (cat) and arching your back and lifting your chest (cow).

Supported cat-cow

Use yoga props for more support or balance.

1. Place your hands on a yoga block, couch or counter. If you have difficulty with your wrists, you can place your hands in fists or come up onto your fingertips.
2. Place a cushion under your knees, if needed, and balance your weight evenly through your hands to avoid wrist pain.
3. Gently move through cat and cow, keeping movements small and focused. “Always start small and slow. Notice how it feels. If it feels good, you can make the movements bigger,” says Brown.

Tips for doing cat-cow safely

Protect your neck: Don’t fling your head back. “That can crunch the cervical spine,” warns Brown. Instead, keep your neck long and in line with your spine, along with your head. It shouldn’t feel strained. The main focus is the movement of the spine. Try to keep everything long, as if you can create space in between each vertebra.

The bottom line

Cat-cow is a simple, accessible stretch with big benefits. It can improve flexibility, reduce tension and help you feel more centered — whether you’re warming up for exercise or winding down after a long day.