Bidalasana ( sa, बिडालासन; ) or Marjariasana ( sa, मार्जरीआसन; ), both meaning Cat Pose in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

, is a kneeling

asana An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga ...

in modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...

. A variant with one leg held up is Vyaghrasana ( sa, व्याघ्रासन; ), Tiger Pose; a similar variant with one leg held straight out is Chakravakasana ( sa, चक्रवाकासन; ), Sunbird Pose. A variant with the back lowered is Bitilasana ( sa, बितिलासन; ), Cow Pose; this is often used as the counter-posture, and a widely used exercise is to alternate between Cat and Cow Poses repeatedly.

Etymology and origins

The name Bidalasana, बिडालासन, is from the Sanskrit बिडाल, ''biḍāl'', meaning "cat", and "āsana" meaning "posture" or "seat". The alternative name Marjariasana (also written Marjaryasana), मार्जरीआसन, is similarly from मार्जरी, ''mārjarī'', also meaning "cat". A similar pose was described in

Niels Bukh Niels Ebbesen Mortensen Bukh (15 June 1880 – 7 July 1950) was a Danish gymnast and educator who founded the first athletic folk high school in Ollerup in Funen, Denmark. He achieved international fame as a gymnastics trainer for the Danish tea ...

's early 20th century Danish text ''Primary Gymnastics'' as "prone-kneeling position", which in turn was derived from a 19th-century Scandinavian tradition of gymnastics. A different asana, Marjarottanasana, meaning upside-down cat stretch pose, is illustrated in the 19th century ''

Sritattvanidhi The ''Sritattvanidhi'' (, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instructions for, and ill ...

''. A pose named Vyaghrasana or tiger pose is listed but not described in the 17th century ''

Hatha Ratnavali Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭha ...

''.

Description

The practitioner kneels on all fours and slowly raises and lowers the back, transitioning in a gentle vinyasa between Cat and Cow Poses, and exercising the core muscles that support the spine. The pose is considered in Sivananda Yoga to be suitable for use during

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...

Variations

In variations of the pose, one leg is stretched out straight, and the knee of the stretched out leg may then be bent so the foot points straight up; the opposite hand may also be stretched out in Vyaghrasana, Tiger Pose The similar chakravakasana, Sunbird Pose, has the leg and arm stretched out straight, horizontally. Cat Pose is often alternated with Bitilasana, Cow Pose, where the belly and back are lowered and the hips and shoulders remain unmoved.

References

{{Yoga as exercise Backbend asanas Core strength asanas