There are two basic shapes your torso and spine can make: flexion and extension. In the simplest explanation, flexion is a rounded back and extension is an arched back. Cat/Cow alternates between flexion (Cat) and extension (Cow), but Cow can put a lot of strain on your lower or mid back if it isn’t done well. These poses are not as simple as they appear.
Everyone has a spot in their lower or mid back where they can bend most easily at their most mobile vertebra. Like a hinge, your upper spine and lower spine move around that spot, with the vertebrae above and below moving much less than the hinge vertebra. I regularly teach people how to move more vertebrae and spread out the movement and muscular effort through their back.
In our seated world, most people’s normal posture is slightly or very flexed and slouchy, especially through our rib cage, sternum, and shoulders. That means Cat is very easy for most people to get into, because it’s an exaggeration of what we already do well. For those with tired lower backs, Cat feels great because it allows very overworked muscles to lengthen and take a break. Cat brings your spine into full flexion.
The way it’s usually taught, Cow is more troublesome and can hurt people. The common directions to “let your belly drop” and “lift your chest and head” causes people to hinge at that one mobile spot in their lower spine and crank their neck to lift their head. This engages only lower back and neck muscles, rather than the whole back. In the picture below, notice how the Cow arch is uneven and has a couple of sharp spots? That is not full extension.
OUCH! Look at how sharp the middle of this Cow pose curve is. And the angle of the neck and head? That can’t feel good.
(Source: https://www.joinpapa.com/best-yoga-exercises-seniors/yoga-poses-cat-cow-back-stretch-pose/)
Want to find full extension? Try this. Don’t start by dropping your belly. Instead, as you go into Cow, let your belly soften, push your ribs and sternum forward, lengthen in front from your pubic bone all the way to your collar bones, lift your tailbone, and lift your head. This will engage your mid and upper back muscles and arch more of your back, keeping your lower back safe. It may not look or feel like such a dramatic arch, but it’s a much healthier one.
A less dramatic, but much more comfortable and effective Cow pose. The whole back arches, not just the lower back and neck.
(Source: https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/How-Do-Cat-Cow-Pose-26662589)
Which other yoga poses do you struggle with? Can you distinguish between working your back muscles productively versus overworking specific places? What’s the difference in sensation?