Cat/Cow

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I would like to create a light heated discussion

Though I admit that cat/cow will not cause injury to a person I am against it.

Here is why.

There are about 18 moves in yoga. One of these actions is opening the shoulders and heart. In no other yoga sequence do you close this area like in cat/cow. Therefore when you teach a student to do this your are teaching them that this is an acceptable action when it really is not; when you create a peak you will also create a valley.

I heard once that Manouso Manos once taught a class in which he showed how to correctly get into cat cow without sacrificing this action. Alas I don’t know how he did it.

Almost every teacher I know is appreciative of cat/cow so I would like to hear opinions on the matter.

I do not think I will change anyone’s mind about this nor do I expect to change mine. Keep it light :slight_smile:

#2

In no other yoga sequence do you close this area like in cat/cow.

Please then, explain your position on:

Balasana
Paschimotanasana
Janu Sirsasana
Uttanasana

#3

I heard once that Manouso Manos once taught a class in which he showed how to correctly get into cat cow without sacrificing this action. Alas I don’t know how he did it.

Would love to know how he did this!

Almost every teacher I know is appreciative of cat/cow so I would like to hear opinions on the matter.

There are many “things” to appreciate. It is a wonderful pose to warm the spine. It allows the teacher to assess ROM in hip area. It is an easy pose for students to learn linking the breath with movement.

One of these actions is opening the shoulders and heart. In no other yoga sequence do you close this area like in cat/cow. Therefore when you teach a student to do this your are teaching them that this is an acceptable action when it really is not; when you create a peak you will also create a valley.

Why is it “NOT” an acceptable action?
Equally important to stretch the upper back area and strengthen the chest muscles. (Think shoulder blade ROM) This is the beauty of Cat/Cow. It does both.

#4

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;71664]Please then, explain your position on:

Balasana
Paschimotanasana
Janu Sirsasana
Uttanasana[/QUOTE]

I waited to respond to this until after talking to a different Iyengar instructor than I normally go to. In response to your reply on my other thread yes, the instructors I refer to as Iyengar are certified in the form.

Balasana I was unsure of because I consider it an inactive pose and to keep the shoulder blades in the body you would have to go active. I have never seen this pose in an Iyengar class so I asked Denise Thibault. She said that the Iyengar style does not include that posture. We instead do adho mukha virasana (utthita balasana) which gets the job done without feeding bad habits.

In paschimotanasana and Janu Sirsasana the elbows go out, not down(how I’ve been taught). This is done to keep the chest infront of the shoulders.

In uttanasana the same rule of keeping the chest infront of the shoulders applies however I will have to check my form on this before commenting further.

Really what it boils down to is correcting the habits of our modern lives. Denise used the analogy that as man has evolved, we began to stand upright. In today’s society we are devolving in the direction of our hunched ancestors.

#5

[QUOTE=lotusgirl;71672]Would love to know how he did this!

There are many “things” to appreciate. It is a wonderful pose to warm the spine. It allows the teacher to assess ROM in hip area. It is an easy pose for students to learn linking the breath with movement.

Why is it “NOT” an acceptable action?
Equally important to stretch the upper back area and strengthen the chest muscles. (Think shoulder blade ROM) This is the beauty of Cat/Cow. It does both.[/QUOTE]

This is not an acceptable action because it feeds depressive habits we collect on our computers, in our cars, and on our phones. I say depressive because that is the effect closing the heart has.

Yes, stretching the upper back is important just as any other part of the body is. One very obvious way to do this would be garudasana. A student that is taught that bringing his shoulders forward is acceptable will likely carry this tendency over into this posture. In Our Western style vinyasa classes such an action will likely go unnoticed as so many others do. adho mukha svanasana, adho mukha virasana, many twists and backbends, are all exceptional ways to open and strengthen the upper back without losing this action in the shoulders.

A personal favorite for releasing the trapezius that I would encourage you to try is to put a brick on your shoulder blades in headstand prep at the wall. Be careful not to crush the fingers of your assistant as you come up into it. Also, I recommend using a wooden block as you want something that can push into you, not something you are pushing into.

Lastly, the consistent need/urge to stretch this area would be greatly lessened in a student that has been taught to maintain this action in the shoulders.

#6

Interesting perspective.

Too complex a thread to continue on.

If the pose does not or cannot serve you in your own practice than it’s best to avoid trying to teach it to others as that would obviously be lacking integrity.

#7

Thanks for the Brain food. I find it unfortunate that this thread is too complex for further discussion but I don’t know where we would go from here.

Unless I knew what Manouso did I could not teach this pose in good conscience. It seems that my reasoning for my beliefs on this is still growing. Making this thread challenged me to acquire a few more :slight_smile:

#8

Try not to reinvent the wheel along the way.

#9

Hmmm… it’s interesting how we all have our own theories on various yoga poses. I think that is the beauty of yoga. We each find various physical postures that help us open to our inner awareness. What works for one person may ‘close’ another.

Personally I teach on instinct, not on formalities and rules.

I teach cat/cow and variationsof it frequently in my classes. I love it for spinal mobility. Also, many of my students are older women. In our society older women are often dismissed as sexual creatures. I often teach a form of cat/cow that is highly fluid and encourages people to get in touch with the flow and sensual energy they posses. The women love the pose. I can see that it helps open them to their sensuality and feel empowered.

That’s my two cents.

#10

I always found the cat/cow a position to work on breathing more than anything else. It is the easiest pose to get into the flow and pattern of breathing with with complete natural"ness". Cat/cow is so rhythmic with our natural breathing, it’s a good introductory pose to a session. I agree it flirts with some of the bad postures of the day, however. I find it “boring” more than anything else.

Interesting thread. I kind of like this forum.