मार्जार्यासन–बिटिलासन
Cat–Cow Flow
mārjārī = cat; 'bitila' is the modern yoga name for the cow half (it has no clear Sanskrit root) — the cat and cow arch
On all fours, the spine learns to wave: round up like a cat, dip like a cow.
In the simplest words
Get on your hands and knees like a table. Breathe out and round your back up like an angry cat, and hiss if you like! Breathe in and dip your tummy down like a happy cow looking up. Cat… cow… cat… cow.
What it is
On hands and knees, the spine moves the only two ways a spine can wave: on the exhale it rounds toward the ceiling like a startled cat, and on the inhale the belly dips, the chest lifts, and the tail rises, which is the cow. Repeated slowly, breath leading and back following, this becomes a moving massage for the whole spine and an easy warm-up for any yoga session, desk-stiff shoulders included.
Before you practise: health first
Wrist pain: work on fists or forearms. Neck trouble: keep the head in line rather than lifting it. In pregnancy, keep the cat gentle and skip deep belly dips.
Getting into it
Come to all fours: wrists under shoulders, knees under hips, back flat like a table.
Exhaling, press the floor away, round the spine up, and let the head hang: the cat.
Inhaling, dip the belly, lift the chest and tailbone, gaze softly forward: the cow.
Keep flowing, one full breath per arch, letting the movement start at the tailbone.
After 6–10 rounds, rest back into balasana.
The breath
The breath is the engine: exhale = cat, inhale = cow, never rushed.
What it is kept for
Waking a stiff spine, easing desk-bound backs and shoulders, syncing breath with movement.