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Gomukasana

cow face pose

Gomukasana
  • Opens chest, hips & shoulders
  • Stretches the ankles, thighs & triceps
  • Improves attitude
Contraindications
  • Shoulder injuries
GETTING INTO THE POSE
  • From dandasana cross the left leg over the right so that the knees are stacked on top of each other, bring the feet in until the form a straight line parallel with the front of your mat. If this is too difficult you can hug the feet closer to the body.
  • Make sure both sitting bones push into the mat, straighten the back and bring the crown up to the ceiling.
  • Bring the left hand between the shoulder blades, the back of the hand makes contact with the back.
  • Inhale: Raise the right hand and reach up to make length in the sidebody.
  • Exhale: bend the right elbow and grab hold of your other hand. If you can't reach it, you can use a belt.
  • The right elbow reaches straight up, the left elbow down.
  • Keep the back straight.
  • Shoulders away from ears.
  • Gaze forward.
BREATH
  • Inhale: make length between the left and right elbow & the crown and the sitting bones.

- Or -

  • Breathe towards the lower abdomen to make space in the hips and relax the pelvic floor muscles.
GETTING OUT OF THE POSE
  • Exhale: Release the hands, straighten the knees and return to dandasana and repeat on the other side.
PREPARATORY POSES
  • Dandasana | staff pose
  • Baddha konasana | bound angle pose
  • Supta baddha konasana | reclined bound angle pose
SUBSEQUENT POSES
REPLACEMENT POSES
  • Use a strap when you can't bind the hands
  • Sit on top of a block to releave the hips
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