The Cow Face Pose, generally known as 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 resembling 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 intervals 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’ll see the steps for performing this pose together with its variations, tricks to bear in mind for performing it completely as effectively 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 suitable decrease leg over the left thigh, putting it outdoors the left hip.
- Equally, bend your left knee, bringing the left foot outdoors the suitable hip and beneath the suitable thigh.
- Use your fingers to align your toes and knees, guaranteeing they’re practically stacked on prime of one another.
- Keep a straight again by grounding your sitting bones.
- Lengthen your arms out to the perimeters in a straight line.
- Internally rotate your shoulders and produce the suitable arm towards the again.
- Place the suitable hand between the shoulder blades with palms dealing with outward.
- Lengthen the left arm overhead and bend the elbow to carry the forearm down, putting your fingers close to the again of the neck with palms dealing with inwards.
- Interlock your fingers if attainable; in any other case, preserve this hand place or goal to the touch your fingertips.
- Forestall 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 Keep in mind
- Guarantee correct warm-up earlier than making an attempt Cow Face Pose to organize your shoulders and hips for the required flexibility.
- Keep away from forcing your physique into an ideal alignment; progress progressively as your flexibility improves over time.
- When you battle to carry your legs into place from Dandasana, begin from the tabletop pose after which gently sit down.
- Use a folded blanket, cushion, or yoga block beneath your sitting bone to take care of a straight backbone and correct hip alignment.
- When you’ve got stiff shoulders, think about using a yoga strap, belt, or a small towel to bridge the hole between your fingers, progressively decreasing the gap till you possibly can hook your fingers.
- To realize steadiness in your seated posture, place the highest foot as near the hip as attainable whereas protecting the underside foot away from the physique.
- Start by holding the pose for 30 seconds and progressively improve the length as you grow to be extra comfy.
Precautions and Contraindications
- The cow face pose is a posh pose regarding the positioning of the legs and arms. Thus, you must first study this pose beneath the steerage of an professional yoga instructor earlier than making an attempt 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 mustn’t carry out this pose as it might put stress on the stomach.
- If you’re experiencing ache in any key components of the physique, it’s advisable that you don’t observe the pose until the ache has lowered or utterly gone.
- In case of ligament or tender tissue damage or muscle tear within the thighs, keep away from the pose until you have got 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 can be bending just one leg whereas protecting the opposite leg stretched in entrance of you. Begin with bending the suitable leg and putting the decrease proper on prime of the left thigh. The proper foot will probably be near the left hip. If you’re a newbie, begin by practising this pose to progressively improve mobility and suppleness.
This pose requires you to solely observe the leg a part of the cow face pose. Your fingers will probably be positioned on the toes to maintain your higher physique straight. It is a nice pose to observe when you don’t want to interact your arms on account of any motive but need to strengthen your hips and legs.
From the above pose, twist your whole 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 the direction of the suitable. Deliver your left arm in the direction of the suitable and place the hand outdoors the suitable knee. The proper arm will probably be saved in the 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 a substitute of holding your arms on the again, maintain them in entrance of your chest. Put the suitable arm beneath the left arm to make a cross. Bend the elbows and be part of the palms. If not, maintain the right-hand wrist together 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 possibly can slowly bend ahead. It will mean you can expertise a deeper stretch within the hips, decrease again, and triceps. It ought to solely be carried out when you have got attained enough power within the backbone and again muscle tissues. The ahead bend may also be accomplished within the shoelace and half cow face pose.
Observe-up Pose
Advantages of Cow Face Pose(Gomukhasana)
Whereas the pose could look intense, the advantages you acquire from practising it usually are not that complicated to grasp. It not solely helps in relieving stress and stiffness from the assorted joints but additionally aids in sustaining and correcting your posture. The cow face pose may also enhance your digestive system and blood circulation.
Under are some advantages of practising the cow face pose.
- The backward positioning of the arms broadens the chest thus rising the house for the lungs to increase freely and bettering its capability.
- Cow face place stretches the muscle tissues within the ankles, knees, chest, and shoulders, strengthening them in addition to bettering normal physique posture.
- Nearly all physique joints are getting used all through the asana, which boosts blood move and ensures the physique receives extra blood and vitamin.
- Common observe of the pose reduces harm 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 way of the improved frequency of urination.
- Enhancing kidney perform additionally helps forestall kidney illnesses resembling kind 2 diabetes, kidney stones, and so forth.
- It’s a useful pose for athletes as it’ll stretch and strengthen the hamstrings, quads, calves, ankles, knees, and hips by bettering blood circulation to the muscle tissues of those physique areas.
- It retains the decrease half organs wholesome and cures sexual illnesses.
- It will probably forestall sciatica by stretching and lengthening the backbone, particularly the decrease backbone.
- Deep belly stretching additionally burns extra fats within the stomach space whereas firming the complete physique.
- Diaphragmic respiration will increase blood circulation within the chest and retains allergic reactions and illnesses at bay.
- By lengthening the backbone, this pose permits for a wholesome move of prana and blood to the mind. This additional promotes a peaceful and relaxed thoughts by decreasing worry, stress, and anxiousness.
Conclusion
The Cow Face Pose is a vital pose for hip opening. Your physique will overcome the unfavourable results of stress, worry, and anxiousness 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 robust emphasis on backbone raise, it’ll additionally improve your posture. It efficiently nourishes your physique, can increase your bodily and emotional well-being and may enhance your temper, and produce in additional optimism.
