How to Do Cow Face Pose: 3 Cow Face Pose Modifications

Cow face pose (Gomukhasana) is a seated, hip-opening yoga pose that is traditionally held for up to a few minutes. In Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language that yoga was born out of, Gomukhasana means “cow” (Go), “face” (Mukha), and “pose” (asana). This posture’s name is a nod to the shape the body makes in the full pose, which resembles a cow’s face: the elbows represent the cow’s ears, and the legs stacked on top of each other resemble the cow’s mouth.

Experts recommend that beginner yogis practice new poses under the supervision of a certified yoga teacher. Cow face pose is challenging and intense for yogis with tight hips and shoulders, and should be entered into slowly and mindfully. Here is a step-by-step guide to performing cow face pose:

1. 1. Sit on your mat in staff pose (Dandasana). Come to a seated position on your mat with your legs in front of you in staff pose. Sit up tall.
2. 2. Slide the left foot underneath your right leg. Inhale, bend your knees, and bring the left foot to the outside of the right hip. Keep your breath steady and elongate through the inhalations and exhalations as you enter this pose.
3. 3. Place the right leg on top of the left. Stack your right knee on top of the left leg, positioning your legs away from your hips at an equal distance. Disperse your weight equally on your sitting bones (also known as sitz bones or the pair of bones on which we sit).
4. 4. Bend your right elbow and position your right arm behind you. Sitting up tall, extend your right arm toward the sky, bend your right elbow, opening through your rotator cuff, so that your right palm rests on the top of your back, just beneath your neck.
5. 5. Bend your left elbow and reach back for your right fingers. Extend your left arm so it’s parallel to the floor, then rotate it, and bring it around to your back. Rest the back of your left hand on your lower back. Use your right hand to reach for your left, enjoying a deep stretch of your upper arms. Do not force the bind. If your fingers do not touch, just hold the arms where they are until more openness is created in the shoulder blades.
6. 6. Lift your chest and hold for at least a minute. Sit up tall, stretch open through the collarbones and feel the stretch in the triceps while simultaneously working the hips. Breathe deeply in and out through your nose.
7. 7. Repeat on the opposite side. Slowly release and come back into staff pose. Spend the same amount of time and energy on the opposite side. Note any differences between the right and left sides of the body.

Here are some tips to help you move through cow face pose:

1. 1. Tuck your top foot closer to the body. To receive the most benefits from the pose, you’ll need to sit equally on the sitz bones. Tuck your top foot in towards the opposite hip, and allow the bottom foot to move away from the body.
2. 2. Flex your toes. Cow face pose is a great hip-opening pose that offers a deep stretch in that area. Keep your toes flexed and your legs active to help open the hips.
3. 3. Press the head back into the top arm. To avoid leaning forward in the upper back and compromising your posture, sit up tall and stretch up through the lower back while pressing the back of the head into your top arm.
4. 4. Anchor down while sitting up tall. Focus on simultaneously grounding down firmly through the sitting bones and sitting up as tall as possible through the spine. Make sure that the back of the neck is long.

You can modify cow face pose to deepen the stretch, even out the body, or make the arm wrap more accessible:

1. 1. Do a forward bend with hands on the mat. Enter into the pose in the lower body, but instead of wrapping your arms behind you, place your fingertips on the mat in front of you and lean forward, opening more into the hips. Breathe and hold the pose for as long as you comfortably can.
2. 2. Use a yoga strap. If your shoulders are tight or you cannot reach your opposite fingers, use a yoga strap or towel to assist with that connection. Hold the towel or strap in the top hand, grab it with the bottom hand and inch your grip closer together without forcing it.
3. 3. Place a folded blanket under one hip. If one hip is much tighter than the other and you are leaning to one side, place a folded blanket or bolster underneath the hips to lift them off the floor and support them evenly.

Proper form and technique are essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of a yoga practice. If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before practicing yoga. Yoga poses may be modified based on your individual needs.

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