Spinal wave

Cat-cow

Easy2 minFloor space

On all fours, arch and dome the spine one segment at a time. Slow segmental waves rehydrate the layers between vertebrae and wake the sensor field along the whole back.

The dose

8 waves, slower than feels natural

How to do it

01Come to all fours, wrists under shoulders, knees under hips.
02On an inhale, let the belly sink and the chest and tailbone lift, one vertebra at a time.
03On the exhale, press the floor away and dome the spine upward, tucking tail and chin last.
04Keep the wave moving segment by segment, slower than feels natural; the slowness is the exercise.

Mistakes that waste your reps

Hinging only at the neck and low back while the stiff middle spine sits it out.
Racing the breath; each direction should take a full inhale or exhale.
Collapsing into the shoulders instead of pressing the floor away.

Where this comes from

evidence · emergingestablished practice

Discomfort that eases as you move is normal; pain that sharpens is a stop sign. If this area is injured or persistently painful, a clinician outranks this page.

Written by Kyle Jenkin · updated August 31, 2026 · how we grade evidence

Pairs well with

Lateral line

Overhead side bend

Reach one arm overhead and bend away from it, keeping both feet heavy. You are opening the long seam that runs from ankle to armpit, one of the most under-stretched lines in a chair-shaped life.

→ 3 slow bends per side, exhale into each

Easy2 minevidence · emergingWilke 2016 · myofascial chains

Superficial back line

Hip hinge fold

Soft knees, long spine, fold from the hips and let the arms hang. This loads the best-evidenced fascial chain in the body, one continuous sheet from sole to scalp.

→ 5 slow folds, 3 breaths at the bottom

Easy2 minevidence · strongWilke 2016 · back line verified

One move is a start. A thread is better.

Find your thread →All fascia lines moves

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