Marjariasan-Bitilasan (Cat-Cow Pose)
Yoga was originally practiced as a way of healing. It is not only a way of physical wellbeing but also it was known for improving the mental health of an individual. Yoga is being used introduced into many medical centers to treat their patients along with their treatment.
India is the origin of yoga. With the passes of time, the trend of yoga spread worldwide and people started modifying yoga according to their comfort level. Looking at the current scenario, it was found that more than 36 million people in the USA practice yoga on daily basis. The number of Americans practicing yoga has grown to 50% since 2016. People aged between 30 and 49 years old practice yoga more than any other age group.
It is believed that Yoga is not a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, the science of youthfulness, the science of integrating body, mind, and soul. Most people are suffering from back pain and incorrect posture due to prolonged sitting. So to improve the posture people often practice yoga as it is cheap and easy yet very effective. To heal the pain in the back due to the wrong posture can be easily treated by practicing the cat-cow pose.
The cat-cow pose is very beneficial in treating lower back pain. The cat-cow pose consists of a set of two poses i.e. cat pose and the cow pose. This pose is completed once you practice the whole set of poses. The name of this pose is derived from the Sanskrit language. The word marjari means cat ,asan means pose.Similarly, Bitil means cow,Asan means pose.Hence this pose is known as the cat-cow pose. These poses help an individual in improving the health of your spine. It improves the posture of your spine. This pose is also beneficial in improving women’s sexual health. if you are a beginner in yoga you must take proper precautions while practicing yoga to avoid any kind of physical injury.
Benefits:
This yoga posture can be practiced by beginners. Though this is an easy pose but is very effective. It helps an individual in reducing back pain. This pose is very effective in improving the overall health of the internal organs. Practicing this pose can result in improving the health of the reproductive organs. This pose is considered as the post-pregnancy asana as it ensures to tighten the abdomen muscles and fasten the process of the abdomen to get back to its original shape.
Spine-health: This pose stretches your spine and improves flexibility in the spine. The flexibility enables the moment of the spine and the stretch strengthens it. hence results in improving the overall health of the spine.
Digestion: Practicing this pose will massage your digestive system. The massage will strengthen the digestive organs and enhance the overall health of our digestive system.
Internal organs: It stretches and stimulates the nerves. The stretch and stimulation thus help in improving the health of our internal organs.
Menstrual cycle: Practicing this pose will help in regulating the menstrual cycle. Regular practice of this pose will help you during menopause.
Post pregnancy: practicing this pose will help women during post-pregnancy. It relieves pain and helps an individual to strengthen the abdomen. it tightens the abdomen muscles and encourages the abdomen to regain its normal shape.
Improve metabolism: Practicing this pose will massage, stimulate, and secret the thyroid gland. This process will improve metabolism.
Flexibility: Practicing this pose will improve flexibility in an individual. Practicing this pose will stretch your spine. The stretch strengthens and lengthens the spine thus improving flexibility.
Remedial in sciatica: Practicing this pose will help you to get rid of sciatica. Sciatica is a condition of severe pain in your lower back to the hips and thighs. This pose stretches the hips, back, and thighs muscles. The stretch thus helps in strengthening the sciatica muscles.
Relieves mental disturbance: Practicing this pose will increase the blood flow in our body. The increased blood flow help in increasing the oxygen in the body and results in releasing stress and anxiety.
Influence energy chakras: Practicing this pose will increase the energy chakra. it activates the Solar Plexus, Root Chakra, and Throat Chakra.
Posture: Practicing this pose will improve your body balance and stretch your body. The stretch thus helps in improving the posture of an individual.
Diabetes: Practicing this pose helps in activating the pancreas. The activated pancreas stimulates inulin in your body and helps in curing and controlling diabetes.
Sexual health: Practice of this pose helps in improving the sexual organs. It massages the sexual organs and improves the overall health of sexual organs.
Reproductive organs: Practicing this pose will enhance the health of our reproductive organs by massaging them. The massage will generate heat and provide warmth to the organs. The warmth helps in improving the health of the reproductive.
Insomnia: Practice of this pose will be beneficial in insomnia. This pose improves blood circulation in an individual. The improved blood circulation carries oxygen to the mind and relaxes your body thus helping in curing insomnia.
Technique:
To practice any of the postures it is very important to follow a proper technique to avoid any kind of injury. The correct technique enhances the benefits and restricts any kind of mishappenings. So it is very important to learn the right technique including your breathing pattern before practicing the posture.
Sit in the tabletop position. Your palms and folded knees should be on the floor. your hands should be straight and at a 90-degree angle. You must sit on your all fours.
Bring your knees under your hips and wrists under your shoulder. Your head should be neutral.
Inhale and lift your head and butt toward the ceiling and your back toward the floor such that it makes an arch.
Hold on to the pose for at least 15 seconds.
Exhale and get back to the initial position.
Inhale and sink your head and butts downward and lift your back like a cow hump. Stretch your back to the maximum towards the ceiling.
Hold on to the pose for at least 15 seconds.
Relax and get back to the initial position.
Do not force your breathing while practicing this pose. Practice this pose very smoothly to avoid any kind of injury.
Precautions:
Taking proper precautions before practicing a posture is essential. You have to read precautions before the posture as it will reduce the chances of getting injured. Practicing the pose with wrong techniques and without precautions might cause a severe injury and can injure you for a lifetime. The following precautions can be taken to practice marjari bitilasan.
Do not practice this pose if you are suffering from a neck injury.
Consult your doctor before practicing this pose if you have just recovered from surgery.
Do not practice this pose if you are suffering from piles or hernia.
Practice this pose after consulting your doctor during their prenatal and postnatal recovery.
Avoid practicing this pose during the first trimester of your pregnancy.
Do not practice this pose if you are suffering from high or low blood pressure.
Consult your doctor or yoga instructor before practicing this pose if you are suffering from a severe headache.
Practice of this pose must be done under surveillance if you are suffering from severe back pain.
Do not practice this pose if you are suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome or ganglion cyst. This pose can worsen your case.
Do not practice this pose if you are suffering from vertigo. Practicing this pose can worsen the spinning experience.
Avoid practicing these poses if you are suffering from a knee injury, bad knee, or severe knee pain. This will worsen the pain.
Do not practice this pose if you are suffering from spondylitis.
Consult your doctor before practicing this pose if you are suffering from migraine.
Avoid this pose if you are suffering from neck, back, hips, shoulder, and arms injury.
Props and modifications:
This pose can be practiced by any age group but sometimes it is difficult for people with different body types and different issues to practice the same posture with the same technique. So, we modify the pose or use props to practice the posture without hurting ourselves.
Place a blanket under your knees if you are not comfortable on the floor.
You can also raise your leg and the opposite hand to give yourself a challenge.
You can place your elbow on the floor to be more comfortable while practicing this pose.