The Cow Face Pose, often called Gomukhasana in Sanskrit, is an intermediate-level seated pose that deeply stretches the muscle tissues of the arms, legs, and again whereas additionally decreasing stiffness within the shoulders and hips.
The place will get its title from the looks it generates with the physique: a cow’s face. The cow’s snout and mouth are represented by the crossed legs, whereas the cow’s ears are represented by the arms. The nostril of the cow is fashioned by the torso.
The 4th-century Darshana Upanishad mentions this yoga stance, which isn’t solely a really efficient train but additionally used throughout Yoga Nidra, Pranayama, and Meditation attributed to its therapeutic qualities. It aids within the secretion of hormones akin to endorphins, which produce a sense of peace and leisure.
It stretches the arms, shoulders, chest, armpits, and hips whereas permitting for a full vary of shoulder movement. It will increase flexibility and stimulates the Chakras in our physique, together with the Sacral and Coronary heart Chakras.
Gomukhasana develops steadiness and coordination with its posture. It’s a implausible pose for anybody who sits for lengthy durations of time at work because it opens your hips and chest, which helps to offset the droop that many individuals can develop after sitting.
Within the forthcoming sections, we are going to see the steps for performing this pose together with its variations, tricks to keep in mind for performing it completely as properly its advantages.
Apply Information for Cow Face Pose
Preparatory Pose
Steps to Carry out Cow Face Pose(Gomukhasana)
- Begin in Dandasana (employees pose) in your yoga mat.
- Bend your proper knee and cross the proper decrease leg over the left thigh, inserting it outdoors the left hip.
- Equally, bend your left knee, bringing the left foot outdoors the proper hip and below the proper thigh.
- Use your arms to align your toes and knees, guaranteeing they’re almost stacked on prime of one another.
- Preserve a straight again by grounding your sitting bones.
- Prolong your arms out to the edges in a straight line.
- Internally rotate your shoulders and produce the proper arm towards the again.
- Place the proper hand between the shoulder blades with palms going through outward.
- Prolong the left arm overhead and bend the elbow to convey the forearm down, inserting your arms close to the again of the neck with palms going through inwards.
- Interlock your fingers if doable; in any other case, preserve this hand place or purpose to the touch your fingertips.
- Stop your head from tilting sideways or ahead by urgent the again of your head into the left hand.
- Guarantee each elbows are aligned towards the middle.
- Open your chest by drawing your shoulder blades again.
- Maintain for 3-5 breaths.
- Gently launch your legs and arms, then repeat with the alternative limbs.
Tricks to Bear in mind
- Guarantee correct warm-up earlier than trying Cow Face Pose to organize your shoulders and hips for the required flexibility.
- Keep away from forcing your physique into an ideal alignment; progress regularly as your flexibility improves over time.
- Should you battle to convey your legs into place from Dandasana, begin from the tabletop pose after which gently sit down.
- Use a folded blanket, cushion, or yoga block below your sitting bone to keep up a straight backbone and correct hip alignment.
- In case you have stiff shoulders, think about using a yoga strap, belt, or a small towel to bridge the hole between your arms, regularly decreasing the space till you’ll be able to hook your fingers.
- To realize steadiness in your seated posture, place the highest foot as near the hip as doable whereas preserving the underside foot away from the physique.
- Start by holding the pose for 30 seconds and progressively improve the period as you develop into extra snug.
Precautions and Contraindications
- The cow face pose is a posh pose regarding the positioning of the legs and arms. Thus, it’s best to first be taught this pose below the steering of an professional yoga instructor earlier than trying it by your self.
- Individuals with accidents to the knee, hips, thighs, shoulder, neck, and again ought to keep away from this pose.
- Don’t observe the leg place in case you have sciatica as it might worsen the situation.
- Pregnant girls shouldn’t carry out this pose as it might put stress on the stomach.
- In case you are experiencing ache in any key components of the physique, it’s advisable that you don’t observe the pose until the ache has decreased or utterly gone.
- In case of ligament or mushy tissue damage or muscle tear within the thighs, keep away from the pose until you could have totally recovered.
- Come out of the pose instantly if you happen to really feel any form of discomfort.
Cow Face Pose Variations
On this variation, you’ll be bending just one leg whereas preserving the opposite leg stretched in entrance of you. Begin with bending the proper leg and inserting the decrease proper on prime of the left thigh. The proper foot shall be near the left hip. In case you are a newbie, begin by training this pose to regularly improve mobility and suppleness.
This pose requires you to solely observe the leg a part of the cow face pose. Your arms shall be positioned on the toes to maintain your higher physique straight. It is a nice pose to observe when you don’t want to have interaction your arms attributable to any motive but need to strengthen your hips and legs.
From the above pose, twist your total higher physique within the course of the leg that has been saved on prime. For instance, in case your proper leg has been saved on prime, you’ll twist in direction of the proper. Convey your left arm in direction of the proper and place the hand outdoors the proper knee. The proper arm shall be saved in direction of the again with palms on the bottom. The twisting will strengthen your backbone and again muscle tissues and provides extra stretch to the thighs and hips.
As an alternative of holding your arms on the again, hold them in entrance of your chest. Put the proper arm below the left arm to make a cross. Bend the elbows and be part of the palms. If not, maintain the right-hand wrist along with your left hand. The positioning of the arms on this approach will strengthen your shoulders and stretch the higher again muscle tissues.
That is an especially troublesome and superior pose the place after sustaining the cow face pose for a number of breaths you’ll be able to slowly bend ahead. It will help you expertise a deeper stretch within the hips, decrease again, and triceps. It ought to solely be carried out when you could have attained enough power within the backbone and again muscle tissues. The ahead bend will also be carried out within the shoelace and half cow face pose.
Comply with-up Pose
Advantages of Cow Face Pose(Gomukhasana)
Whereas the pose might look intense, the advantages you achieve from training it aren’t that complicated to know. It not solely helps in relieving stress and stiffness from the varied joints but additionally aids in sustaining and correcting your posture. The cow face pose may also enhance your digestive system and blood circulation.
Beneath are some advantages of training the cow face pose.
- The backward positioning of the arms broadens the chest thus rising the house for the lungs to develop freely and enhancing its capability.
- Cow face place stretches the muscle tissues within the ankles, knees, chest, and shoulders, strengthening them in addition to enhancing basic physique posture.
- Virtually all physique joints are getting used all through the asana, which reinforces blood circulation and ensures the physique receives extra blood and diet.
- Common observe of the pose reduces injury to the ankles, chest, again, and shoulder in the long term.
- Practising this mudra stimulates the kidneys which additional helps in flushing out toxins by means of the improved frequency of urination.
- Enhancing kidney operate additionally helps forestall kidney illnesses akin to sort 2 diabetes, kidney stones, and so forth.
- It’s a helpful pose for athletes as it is going to stretch and strengthen the hamstrings, quads, calves, ankles, knees, and hips by enhancing blood circulation to the muscle tissues of those physique areas.
- It retains the decrease half organs wholesome and cures sexual illnesses.
- It will possibly forestall sciatica by stretching and lengthening the backbone, particularly the decrease backbone.
- Deep stomach stretching additionally burns extra fats within the stomach space whereas firming all the physique.
- Diaphragmic respiratory will increase blood circulation within the chest and retains allergy symptoms and illnesses at bay.
- By lengthening the backbone, this pose permits for a wholesome circulation of prana and blood to the mind. This additional promotes a relaxed and relaxed thoughts by decreasing concern, stress, and nervousness.
Conclusion
The Cow Face Pose is a necessary pose for hip opening. Your physique will overcome the detrimental results of stress, concern, and nervousness if you happen to sit on this pose for a number of minutes whereas focusing in your breath and releasing these deep muscle tissues.
Due to the sturdy emphasis on backbone elevate, it is going to additionally improve your posture. It efficiently nourishes your physique, can increase your bodily and emotional well-being and might enhance your temper, and produce in additional optimism.
