Yoga Pose Primer: How to Get into Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)

Gomukhasana, or Cow Face Pose (go = cow, muhk = face, asana = pose), is one of those seated yoga postures that is more challenging than it appears (or the fun name suggests). Perhaps that is because it’s as equally intense on the shoulders as it is on the hips.

Benefits of Gomukhasana

Cow Face Pose is a surprisingly deep hip opener that stretches the piriformis and gluteal muscles, as well as the outer legs and IT band. When you practice with the traditional arm variation, the backs of the arms and rotator cuffs also get quite the stretch. The seated pose also opens the chest and thoracic spine.

Gomukhasana Arms

Together, the hip and shoulder opener can sometimes be too much, and I often forgo the shoulders and forward fold to get deeper into the hips in this yoga pose. You’ll also find that teachers will use Gomukhasana’s arms in standing poses, such as Warrior II, to throw in an extra chest and shoulder opener.

Steps for Getting Into Gomukhasana

1. Start seated with your knees bent and both feet flat on the floor, hip distance apart. Reach your left arm around, under, and through your left leg, and grab your right ankle with your left hand.
2. Bring your right foot outside your left hip, crossing your right leg under your left. Then, cross your left leg over the right so that the left knee is stacked on top of the right, and bring your left foot outside the right hip. Situate both heels an equal distance away from the hips and sit evenly on both sitting bones.
3. Flex both feet and firmly press the outer edges of your feet down into the mat, straightening the ankles and lifting the outer anklebones away from the floor. Keep this action to protect your knees and deepen the hip opener.
4. Inhale and reach both arms up overhead. Bend your right elbow and place your right palm on your upper back toward the middle of your shoulder blades. With your left hand, gently press down into your right elbow and move it toward the midline.
5. Inhale, reach your left arm back up and open to the side shoulder height with the palm facing forward. Internally rotate your straight left arm, turning the palm down and then back, pointing the thumb down. Exhale, bend your left elbow and bring the back of your left hand up the center of your back.
6. Hug your left elbow into your left side and slide your left hand further up the back towards the middle of your shoulder blades. If your hands happen to meet, hook the fingers together. If they don’t meet, you can hold a yoga strap in your right hand, dangling it down your back, and then grab it with your left hand to connect your hands.
7. Inhale and lengthen up through the spine. Exhale and press your head back into your top arm, keeping the chest open.  Next inhale, lengthen up through the left side of your body and gently draw your left shoulder back as you exhale. Forward fold to deepen the pose and take five to six breathes.
8. To release, exhale and extend your left arm back down toward the floor. Turn your palm forward, lifting your left arm back out to the side. Inhale and extend your right arm back up to the ceiling; exhale and lower your arm to your side. Stretch both legs out straight and repeat on the second side.

Common Misalignments in Gomukhasana

Problem: In Cow Face Pose, students often place their feet too close to their hips.

Solution: To bring both heels an equal distance away from the hips, tug the left foot (or whichever leg is on top) closer to your right hip and press your right foot away from your left hip. Remember to keep the feet flexed and press down through the pinkie toe side.

Problem: With one leg wrapped on top of the other in Gomukhasana, it can be difficult to get both sitting bones down to the floor and sit evening through the pelvis. It’s common for students to have one hip higher than the other and only one sitting bone down.

Solution: To sit evenly on both sitting bones, place your palms on the floor outside of your hips, press strongly down into your hands, and lift your bottom up off the floor. Move your bottom to the right and place your right sitting bone down (or whichever leg is on the bottom). Then anchor down through your outer left hip and sitting bone.

Problem: The top arm in Gomukhasana (especially if you forward fold in the pose) will inevitably press the head forward, flexing the neck.

Solution: Keep firmly pressing your head back into your arm, keeping your neck in line with the rest of your spine.

Problem: The bottom arm position in Gomukhasana is quite a challenging shoulder opener. You will need to create (and maintain length) through the side body of the bottom arm.

Solution: Anchor down through the outer left hip as best you can. Inhale as you lengthen up through the armpit, and bring your shoulders square across the top. Exhale and press the elbow forward slightly, lightly drawing the head of the arm bone back.

Modifications and Variations of Gomukhasana

First and foremost, never force the wrap of the bottom arm in this yoga pose. You will most likely need to use a strap or towel between your two hands, leaving the back of your bottom hand lower on your back. As the shoulders become more open, you can begin to walk that bottom hand up the strap. Or skip the bottom wrap and only do the top arm and shoulder opener, leaving your left hand on your right elbow.

If one sitting bone is still much higher than the other, slide a blanket or towel under the sitting bone that is down, lifting that side up and lowering the other sitting bone down to the floor. If both of your knees are really high, you can always sit with both sitting bones on a block or folded blanket. If your sit bones are still not level, you can straighten your bottom leg, practicing with just the top knee bent. This is also a great variation to use if your bottom leg’s knee is uncomfortable.

If you can’t get your feet outside of the opposite hips, sit cross-legged with one shin in front of the other (in this case, the left since the left leg was on top), flex both feet, and sit evenly on both sitting bones. You may also want to sit up on a blanket or block here.

The bottom half of Gomukhasana can be performed on your back with your legs in the air and is a nice hip opener right at the end of class. Lying on your back with your legs up, cross your left leg over your right. Reach down and grab opposite heels with your hands. As best you can, flex both feet and lift both heels away from the floor, bringing the shinbones parallel to the floor. Keeping both heels lifted, lengthen your knees away from your belly.