Hi, I am Kathy Duke. I teach prenatal yoga at the Health Advantage Yoga Center in Herndon, Virginia. Today, we are doing prenatal yoga. We are going to stretch our back and hips with cat pose.
Starting on an exhale breath, you will press down into your hands, into your knees and start to lift the middle back, rounding the spine as you come upward, on in inhale breath allow the spine to lengthen, keeping all of your natural curves.
Exhaling again, round the back upwards, gently lifting the belly towards the spine, and on an exhale, feel the crown of your head and your tailbone, gently moving away from each other.
Continue to breathe, allowing the breath to guide each movement. Let the exhales extend and feel the length and the space that you create in the back body. Cat tilts not only release tension from the lower back and hips, they are also good for digestion.
Try one more cycle and then allow your big toes to come together. Take the knees wide enough to accommodate your belly and your chest and on an exhale breath, take the hips backward into a resting position called child’s pose.
Stay here for as long as you like, letting your arms stay in a comfortable position, your forehead can come all the way to the floor or you can place your hands below your forehead for support. And that is how we stretch the spine with cat tilts.
Next, I am going to show you how to strengthen the muscles that support the lower back.
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