Video:Prenatal Yoga: Cat Cow Pose

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Transcript:Prenatal Yoga: Cat Cow Pose

Hi, I'm Debra Flashenberg from the Prenatal Yoga Center and I am here for About.com Parenting. Prenatal yoga can be extremely beneficial for the expectant mother since it focuses on building strength, confidence, and stamina while addressing many of the common aches and pains of pregnancy. Today we will focus on many of the postures that you can do safely at home.

Victoria will be demonstrating many of those postures. This posture is cat cow.

Prenatal Cat Cow Positioning

Bring yourself forward on to all fours - all ten fingers facing forward and make sure you're massaging the whole palm down into the mat, as you feel you're lifting out of your wrists.

Cat and Cow Pose

As you inhale, open your chest forward think of the sway of a cow's spine. And as you exhale drop the tail around the back, drop your head think of a scared Halloween cat. Inhale, move the heart forward not over arching the back for cow. Exhale round the back release neck for cat. One more time, inhale roll the heart forward inner elbows forward, exhale, drop the tail, life the spine for cat. Inhale to your neutral spine and then sit back on your heels.

Prenatal Benefits of Cat Cow Pose

This is a great pose to start your practice. It releases your back muscles, it warms up your spine. A lot of women find the cat pose particularly delicious because it releases the back and gives you a big juicy stretch sensation. The chest opens for cow you might feel a little bit of a widening sense across the heart. A great pose just to start energizing your body.

Thanks for watching. For more information visit us on the Web at parenting.about.com.