Description: From tabletop pose (ensuring your knees are directly under your hips), exhale and round the spine up toward the ceiling (like a cat) while dropping your chin toward your chest and tucking your tailbone. Be sure to draw your belly up and in on this exhale movement. Push through your hands to help broaden the shoulder area. To release, return to tabletop.

Benefits:

1. Stretches your wrists, shoulders, and spine

2. Along with Cow pose (next month’s pose of the month), it brings about the relaxation response in the body (parasympathetic nervous system) and thus lowers the body’s stress response

Counterindications: Wrist, arm, shoulder, or knee injuries

Modifications:

1. Seated Cat – do this pose while sitting on a chair or on the floor

2. Place a folded blanket under your knees

3. To alleviate wrist or hand pain, place blocks under your forearms and do the pose from your forearms

4. You can also stretch from side to side or forward and back o stretch additional muscle groups/parts of the body