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Cow Face Pose
Also Known as Gomukhasana
About the pose/asana
The Cow Face pose is an excellent way to workout the muscles of your arms, shoulders, hips, thighs. However, avoid if you have a neck or shoulder problem. This is a seated type of asana. It is deceptively easy to perform.
Benefits of Cow Face pose/asana
* It helps in stretching the ankle, armpits and triceps, chest, hips and thighs, and shoulders.
How to do Cow Face or Gomukhasana?
Step 1: Sit on the floor with your legs in front of you. Bring both legs in slowly, stacking one on top of each other.
Step 2: Lift your right arm towards the ceiling.
Step 3: Bend the right arm at the elbow. Try to position the right hand smack in the middle of your back.
Step 4: Take your left arm to the left side. Bend it at the elbow and try to bring it up the center of the back.
Step 5: Attempt to make the two hands meet each other. Begin touching them with the fingertips, moving on to hold them together at the end.
Step 6: Try to bring the joined hands in the middle of the back.
A Word of Caution:
The pose is not to be performed if suffering from serious neck or shoulder problem.
Use of Props and other Modifications:
It would not be easy to perform this pose for those who have tight shoulders. These people would not be able to hook their fingers properly. The best way out of this situation would be to hold a piece of cloth or a strap in between your hand and then try to bring them closer. You can fling the strap over your shoulder and grab it with your other hand, slowly trying to pull it up with your top arm as your comfort level increases. Do not try to push your lower arm up the strap.
Those who have just begun performing yoga won't be able to sit firmly on the floor. They can make use of a folded blanket in order to even out the spread of pressure on the sitting bones. This would eventually help in stacking the knees on top of each other.
Preparatory poses:
If you are finding it difficult to perform the pose (which would be the situation in most cases), you can begin with the following poses and then attempt the Cow Face pose:
* Supta Virasana
* Baddha Konasana
* Supta Padangusthasana
* Supta Baddha Konasana
* Virasana
* Upavistha Konasana
Follow up poses:
In a yoga routine, the pose can be followed up by the following poses:
* Bharadvajasana
* Ardha Matsyendrasana
* Marichyasana III
* Upavistha Konasana
* Garudasana
* Paschimottanasana
* Padmasana
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