Did you know Gomukhāsana is considered so potent that ancient texts credit it with dissolving all bodily diseases and awakening the prāṇic channels?
Gomukhāsana, or Cow-Face Pose, aligns the spine, opens the chest and hips, and is often recommended as a meditative seat for advanced practitioners—especially those working on Prāṇāyāma, Bandhas, or subtle energy flow.
🔹 Name & Meaning
Sanskrit: गोमुखासन (Gomukhāsana)
Meaning: "Go" means cow, "mukha" means face—Cow Face Pose. The name comes from the final pose's resemblance to a cow’s face: the bent knees stacked like the jaw and the arms like the ears.
Gomukhāsana is practiced by the accomplished ones for success; it purifies the mind and binds the wandering thoughts inward.
🧭 Step-by-Step Instructions
🪑 Getting Ready
Sit down on the floor in a comfortable cross-legged position (like Sukhasana). Keep your spine straight and shoulders relaxed.
Stretch both legs straight out in front of you and shake them gently to relax.
🦵 Positioning the Legs
Bend your left knee and bring your left foot close to your right hip. Let the outer side of the left leg rest on the ground.
Now bend your right knee, lift the right leg, and place the right thigh directly over the left thigh. The right knee should sit on top of the left knee.
Tuck your right foot near your left hip so that both feet are on opposite sides of the body. The knees should be stacked (or as close as possible).
📝 If the knees don’t stack perfectly, don’t force them. With regular practice, flexibility will increase.
👐 Positioning the Arms
Lift your right arm up overhead and bend it at the elbow, so that your right hand reaches down your back.
Bring your left arm behind your back, bending the elbow, and try to clasp the fingers of both hands behind your back.
If the hands don’t touch, use a yoga strap or towel and hold it with both hands, slowly working toward improving the range.
📌 Make sure the chest remains lifted and the spine straight. Avoid collapsing the chest or tilting the head forward.
🧘♂️ Final Alignment and Breathing
Keep your neck straight and chin slightly tucked in (as in Jālandhara Bandha), eyes closed or softly gazing forward.
Breathe deeply, inhale through the nose, and exhale slowly while holding the position.
⏱ Duration:
Start with 30 seconds and gradually increase to 1–2 minutes per side.
🔁 Repeat the same steps by reversing the leg and arm positions for the other side.
⚠️ Contraindications & Cautions
Avoid or modify Gomukhāsana if:
You have shoulder injuries or frozen shoulder
You suffer from severe knee or hip issues
You experience sciatica (use support)
You’re in the third trimester of pregnancy
🔧 Modifications:
Sit on a folded blanket or block to ease hip pressure
Use a yoga strap between hands if fingers do not touch
Keep bottom leg extended if hips are tight
🔄 Recommended Preparatory Practices
Best after opening hips, shoulders, and spine
Practice
Purpose
Sukhasana Forward Fold
Gently releases hips before deeper folding
Garudasana Arms
Prepares shoulders for binding
Supta Baddha Konasana
Opens groin and inner thighs
Ankle Rotations & Hip Circles
Mobilizes joints before stacking legs
🌿 Benefits
📜 Textual Benefits
Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā 2.20
“Gomukhāsanaṁ nāma mahāsiddhi-karaṁ param |”
The posture called Gomukhasana grants great accomplishments (mahāsiddhi).
🧠 This implies the posture aids advanced practice, likely through improved focus, pranic flow, and bodily control.
🧾 Interpreted Practical Benefits
🏷️ Area
🧘♂️ Benefit
🦴 Musculoskeletal
Deep stretches to hips, thighs, shoulders, chest, and arms. Great for improving posture and upper back flexibility.
🧠 Nervous System
Calms the mind, helps reduce anxiety and tension when practiced with breathing.
🫁 Respiratory
Opens the chest area, encourages deeper breathing, supports lung expansion.
🩺 Therapeutic Use
Helpful for sciatica, back stiffness, shoulder mobility issues, and general hip tightness.
🪔 Energetic
Said to balance prāṇa in the torso and head; supports meditation and prāṇāyāma preparation.
🌿 Ayurvedic Connection
Ayurvedic Element
Connection with Gomukhāsana
Doṣic Impact
🔽 is reduced due to the grounding seated posture and calming breath. ⚖️ is balanced as the stretch allows emotional cooling and chest opening. 🔽 is decreased as the pose stimulates circulation and opens the chest.
(Digestive Fire)
Mildly stimulates (digestive fire), especially due to the upright spine and compression around the abdominal region, aiding digestion over time.
Srotas Activated
Activates the (respiratory channels), manovaha srotas (mental pathways), and (nutritional channels). Some stimulation also occurs in due to the hip compression.
Influenced
Stimulates and stretches areas around the ūru marma (thigh), kukundara marma (hip), and ani marma (knee). Opens the hridaya marma region through the chest stretch.
Subtle Energy (Prāṇa)
Enhances flow of and , especially in the thoracic cavity. Creates a sense of upward lift while anchoring the lower body—balancing and prāṇa vāyu.
Mental Effect
Encourages introversion, emotional release, and clarity. The posture promotes stillness and containment, pacifying an overactive mind—especially useful for Vāta and Pitta types.
🌬️ Breathwork While in Gomukhāsana
Breath Practice
Why It Fits
Nāḍī Śodhana ()
Supports energetic balance while seated
Bhrāmarī
Reduces mental noise in seated postures
Ujjāyī
Encourages breath awareness and calm focus
Gentle Retention (Kumbhaka)
Enhances meditative absorption once steady
🧘♂️ Variations & Related Poses
Variation
Purpose
One-sided Gomukhāsana Arms Only
Opens shoulders for beginners
Seated with legs only (hands on knees)
For those with frozen shoulder
Supine Gomukhāsana Arms
Done lying on back—shoulder opener
🧘♀️ When & How to Use in Yoga Flow
Mid-sequence after hip openers or backbends
As a seated alternative to Padmāsana for meditation
To close a practice and enter a state of stillness
📚 Summary Table
Aspect
Details
Name
Gomukhāsana (गोमुखासन) – Cow Face Pose
Posture Type
Seated, hip and shoulder opener
Symbolism
Cow’s calm gaze and rooted nature
Primary Benefits
Opens hips and shoulders; calms vāyu; prepares for prāṇāyāma
Shoulder mobility drills, hip openers, forward folds
References & Verification
Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā – Chapter 1, Verse 22
Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā – Chapter 2, Verse 21
Yogatattva Upaniṣad - Verse 104
DISCLAIMER: The contents of this website are purely informative and educational and should not be considered medical advice. Please consult with a certified healthcare professional for advice.