This pose is one of my absolute favorites. Well, it's more of a duo of poses; a super duo with many benefits. Cat pose, marjaryasana, and cow pose, bitilasana, are a perfect combo. Commonly called simply “cat/cow”, they epitomize Newton's third law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Cat and cow are opposite and complimentary. One stretches the spine one way, and one stretches the spine the other way. Like all the great combos - yin and yang, peanut butter and jelly, lightning and thunder, campfires and s'mores, Sherlock and Watson, mentos and cola, Hamilton and Burr...wait I've gone too far...

Anyway, like all great combos, they are better together. When done in repeated succession a couple of times a day, this dynamic duo can help alleviate back pain, strengthen the core muscles, improve flexibility, prevent injuries, increase blood flow, reduce stress, alleviate anxiety, improve posture, has been known to help with migraines and insomnia, and just feel really, really good.

Like almost any pose, or asana, in yoga, there is lots going on beneath the surface that eyes cannot see with both of these powerhouses. We will start with cat pose, or marjaryasana:

1. Start in table top position: knees on the floor, directly beneath the hips, and hands on the floor directly beneath the shoulders, with the tops of the feet laying on the ground. (A.K.A. “down on all fours”).

2. On an exhale, begin to arch the back, bringing the chest toward the pelvis, rounding as much as possible, and tucking the chin toward the chest. (imagine a string in the center of the back lifting up while the rest of the body dangles downward) Energetically, be sure to bring the chest and pelvis toward each other, not toward the ground, while pulling the center of the thoracic (middle) spine upward to get the full effect and benefits.

3. To keep from dumping all of the body's weight into the wrists, grip the ground slightly with your fingertips, spreading all of the weight through the palms and fingers and rotate the biceps (upper arms) in toward the heart just a bit.

4. On the inhale, return to tabletop position.

Now onto cow pose, or bitilasana:

1. Start in table top position, generally having just finished cat pose.

2. On the inhale, begin to drop the belly toward the ground. Send the hips toward the back of the neck/shoulders, and vice-versa. DO NOT kink the neck by trying to bring your forehead toward the ceiling. Keep the neck long, like it's being stretched out.

3. Pull the shoulders down and back, leaving room between them and the ears.

4. Again, to keep from dumping too much weight in the wrists, spread the fingers, grip with the fingertips a bit, and put some of that weight into the palms and fingers.

5. On the exhale, return to tabletop position.

Now that you've got those down, do them over and over. This is one set of poses that you will see in a lot of asana classes. Why? Because it's just that good. The spine and core are the foundation on which your body and health is built. It's your center, both literally and figuratively. When your center is healthy and in good shape, it flows out to the rest of you. Physically, this means strengthening and straightening your spinal area. Emotionally or mentally, this means figuring out what your core beliefs are and living by them. This pose duo is great at getting the thinking juices flowing. It can even help with creative blocks in life, business, relationships, anything. Build a strong foundation, and the rest will be that much easier.