Cat – Animal Style

About This Class

This 43-minute Animal Style class draws inspiration from the cat's hallmark qualities — explosive agility, fluid flexibility, and relaxed power — translating them into a series of original floor-based movement patterns. The class opens with a standing warm-up of neck rotations, shoulder circles, hip circles, and wrist mobility before descending to all-fours for foundational cat-cow spinal waves and extended-arm child's pose variations. The core of the session is built around four named sequences: the "cat crawl" (contralateral hand-and-foot locomotion forwards and backwards in a long, low plank position with calf and hamstring stretching); the "cat cross" (lateral hand-and-foot stepping, crossing, and uncrossing to challenge coordination and lateral stability); the "cat turn" (continuous 360° rotational transitions through side plank and supine positions, demanding constant shoulder push and core engagement); and the "cat press" (a mobile press-up pattern linking plank, knee press-up, and hand-foot gathering). These sequences are then combined into a flowing three-minute continuous combination drill. The instructor consistently emphasises minimum tension with maximum range, active floor-pressing rather than collapsing, and sustained core engagement throughout. Wrist health is flagged repeatedly, with elbow/forearm variations offered throughout. The class closes with standing tricep and thoracic twists, prone cobra progressions on forearms and hands, and a child's pose with a threading "needle" twist. The mood is playful and exploratory, with a strong mindfulness and body-awareness thread woven through the instructor's cues.