It may be beneficial to work through arthritic pain via ankylosing spondylitis exercises such as yoga. Low-impact exercises, like the cat yoga position, has been said to be very helpful for individuals who live which constant pain, inflammation, and stiffness in the joints. Yoga and any exercise routine should be tailored to your individual needs and abilities. The deep breathing techniques used in yoga are helpful as well as they are used to ease the stretching of the muscles. Some of the best yoga positions come from the animal kingdom. They include, but are certainly not limited to:

Cat Pose

Position your body on the floor (kneeling with your hands firmly placed on the floor in front of you, about shoulder width apart) like a table. Your knees should in line with your hips. Lift your chest toward the ceiling and press your shoulder blades towards your waits. Slightly tip your pelvis bones up and back. As you exhale, slowly round your spine upwards (toward the ceiling). Inhale and gently return to your starting position.

Cow Pose
This pose also begins in a “tabletop” position. As you inhale, lift your chest toward the ceiling and allow your core (belly) to sink slowly toward the floor. On the exhaled breath, slowly return to the starting position.

Cat-Cow Pose History

The cat-cow yoga poses are easy to perform and are often done in conjunction with each other. The main benefits of these poses are to stretch the spine, increase mobility and possibly improve overall posture.

The cat pose is also known as Marjaiasana (Marjay means “cat” and asana means “posture”. The cow pose is known as Bitilasana (Bitil means “cow” and as mentioned above, asana means “posture”).

Both of these yoga poses are said to stretch the hips, back, and core muscles as well as stretch the entire spine. For maximum results, the cat/cow pose should be alternating done 10 to 20 times.