Yoga · Flexibility · Warm-up

Cat-cow and tabletop

Sets up a steady tabletop, then moves the spine through cow and cat with the breath, adding side bends and hip circles as a gentle warm-up for the back.

Hands and knees on the matT
Start / 6
Time
6 min
Players
1–30
Age
U5+
Area
Mat per person
Equipment
matsfolded blankets for the kneesblockschairs (optional)

Setup

  1. Mats with space between them; everyone on hands and knees, side-on to the teacher where possible so the spines are easy to see.
  2. Fold a blanket or the end of the mat under the knees for padding, and keep a block nearby for anyone whose wrists feel sore.
  3. Anyone with wrist, knee or back problems, or who is pregnant, should follow advice from a health professional and tell the teacher. Seated cat-cow on a chair is always on offer.

How it runs

  1. Tabletop (Bharmanasana): hands under the shoulders with the fingers spread, knees under the hips, tops of the feet down. Press the floor away so the chest doesn't sink; the back is long and the neck in line with it. Three breaths.
  2. Cow (Bitilasana): breathe in, let the belly lower gently, lift the chest and the tailbone, and look slightly forward without squeezing the back of the neck.
  3. Cat (Marjaryasana): breathe out, press into the hands and round the back up, letting the head and tailbone drop. Move slowly between cow and cat for six to eight breaths.
  4. Side bend: from tabletop, draw the head and the hips towards the right to make a 'C' shape and look towards the right hip. Three breaths, then the left side.
  5. Hip circles: keep the hands still and draw slow circles with the hips, five each way, letting the spine move freely.
  6. Sit back into child's pose (Balasana), knees wide or together, for five breaths.

Coaching points

  • Let the breath lead: in for cow, out for cat, and each movement lasts as long as the breath.
  • Start each movement from the tailbone, like a wave travelling up to the head.
  • Arms straight but not locked, and keep pressing the floor away.
  • Stay in a comfortable range: gentle movement, never a pinch in the lower back.

Common mistakes

  • Dropping deep into the lower back in cow.
  • Throwing the head back, or tucking the chin hard in cat.
  • Collapsing between the shoulder blades in tabletop.
  • Moving faster than the breath.

Say it: “Breathe in to open, breathe out to round.”

Make it harder

  • Bird dog from tabletop: reach the opposite arm and leg out for three breaths a side.
  • Hover the knees a few centimetres off the floor for three breaths with a flat back.
  • Finish with thread the needle, one arm sliding under the other, each side.

Make it easier

  • Fists, or forearms on blocks, instead of flat hands.
  • Seated cat-cow on a chair with the hands on the knees.
  • Fewer rounds, with a rest in child's pose between them.

Reviewed by the Sportdify coaching team.