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Gomukasana

Koeienkop Houding | Cow Face Pose

  • Opens chest, hips & shoulders

  • Stretches the ankles, thighs & triceps

  • Improves attitude

Contra-indications:

  • 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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