Key Points:
- The third movements of the spine are to flex (round like a cat) and extend (arch like a cow).
- The lumbar spine is often a bit more locked in the rounded position – it’s unable to move segmentally through each vertebra.
- The upper back – thoracic spine – tends to be more locked in the arched position.
- Many of us have the ability to lift the ribs in front at the hinge joint in the spine but cannot extend through the upper spine.
Key Points:
On all fours (or you can also do the movements sitting, standing, or leaning forward at a countertop or sink!), shoulders over wrists, arms straight, hips over knees, and legs in a number eleven (directly back behind you).
Press the floor away with your hands to activate the muscles around the shoulder and to have your arms strong (not hyperextended) – your shoulder blades are wide across the back, but not rounded like a cat.
Start at your tailbone, inhale, exhale, slowly round through your spine, one vertebra at a time coming into the cat pose.