Strike a (Cat) Pose

I am on my 6th month of on-again-off-again yoga: gentle flow. And what have I learned thus far? Well, yoga looks to animals for inspiration for a variety of health beneficial poses. These poses, I am told, are meant to counteract the number one enemy of mankind: stress. Below is a short-list of animal poses certified to be stress-busters.

First on the list is downward facing dog. This is a constant in yoga sessions.



You will feel your stress melt away and if you stay down too long, you become light headed. So who needs wine?!?!

Still stressed out? Then move on to the Cobra post. A sure ticket to immediate relief of tension. (Specially if you are able to strike like a cobra at the one causing your stress)



And did you know that a lot of stress could be locked inside the hip area? The frog pose will get those hips stretched out for sure.



But who wants to be a frog, when the same benefits can be achieved by doing the butterfly pose.



Feeling shy? Then take on a fish pose. This pose is said to open the chest area but even more so it supposedly actively pushes the person to open up.



And if you stretch like a cat, you’ll gently massage your spine and belly.



To continue this massage to your spine, alternate the cat pose with a cow pose.



Cats and cows do know something good.

So give yoga a try and join me as I continue to learn about the birds and the bees. If done correctly, these animal poses stretch and heal tight muscles; expel toxins from our bodies; and, will provide us with another means of dealing with life’s twist and turns.

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I have been told that yoga is best practiced on an empty stomach— makes for easy bending and contracting of the belly. But this is not easy for me as I need some energy to get my engine going early in the morning. So my teacher advises that I have a light meal 1 hour prior to my yoga class. Fruits and cereals work well with me and the following energy drink (patterned after commercial smoothies) hits the spot:

Basic Banana-Oatmeal Smoothie

1 banana, cut up
¼ c oatmeal, any variety (quick cooking, rolled oats, etc)
2-3 T powdered low fat milk
1 c water
Ice cubes (optional)



Place all the ingredients into a blender and zap away.



You can add a variety of fruits to this basic recipe. A dash of cinnamon takes this drink to a different level.

Namaste!