Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose): how to do it, benefits and easier versions

How to do Cow Face Pose step by step

1. Sit on the mat with your legs straight in front of you. Bend your right knee and slide your right foot under your left leg to the outside of your left hip.
2. Cross your left leg over the top so your left knee stacks above your right knee and your left foot rests beside your right hip.
3. Sit evenly on both sit bones. If one hip lifts or your knees will not stack, sit on a folded blanket or a block.
4. Raise your left arm, bend the elbow and let your left hand slide down between your shoulder blades.
5. Take your right arm out to the side, bend it behind your back and slide the back of your right hand up your spine. Clasp the fingers, or hold a strap between your hands.
6. Lift your chest, keep the top elbow pointing up and your head in line with your spine. Breathe slowly for 20–30 seconds.
7. Release the arms, uncross the legs and shake them out. Repeat on the other side with the right knee on top and the right arm up.

Where you feel Cow Face Pose: what it stretches and strengthens

Reach for your hands behind and feel the upper arm stretch. In the 3D guide, turn on Body guide: areas that stretch glow green and areas that work glow saffron.

Benefits and precautions

Cow face pose (Gomukhasana) is a seated posture that stretches two areas most of us hold tension in: the hips and the shoulders. The knees stack one on top of the other, and one hand reaches down the back to meet the other hand coming up. It looks complicated, but with a strap and a folded blanket almost anyone can practise a version of it. This guide covers how to do Gomukhasana step by step, the arm and leg positions separately, its benefits, modifications and who should be careful.

What is cow face pose in yoga?

The Sanskrit name has three parts: go means "cow", mukha means "face" and asana means "pose". Gomukhasana is called cow face pose in English and गोमुखासन in Hindi. It is one of the older seated postures and is already described in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, where the ankles are placed beside the opposite hips.

Why is it called cow face pose?

Seen from above, the stacked knees look like a cow's mouth and the feet out to the sides look like its ears. Some teachers also compare the elbows — one pointing up, one down — to a cow's head and ears. Either way, it is a picture name, not a symbolic one.

How to do Gomukhasana (Gomukhasana kaise kare)

The steps above show the full pose on one side. It helps to learn the legs and the arms separately first.

Cow face pose legs

Aim to stack the top knee directly over the bottom knee and bring the feet the same distance from the hips. Flex the feet slightly to protect the knees. The most common mistake is sitting with one hip high; put a blanket under both sit bones so the pelvis is level and the spine can rise. If you can't do the cow face pose legs at all, keep the bottom leg straight — this half version is a useful cow face pose leg modification.

Cow face pose arms

Gomukhasana arms stretch each shoulder in a different direction: the top arm lifts and bends, the bottom arm turns inward and climbs the back. Keep the top elbow pointing to the ceiling rather than pushing your head forward, and move the bottom elbow in toward your spine. If the fingers do not meet, hold a strap and walk the hands closer over weeks. You can do cow face pose arms only while sitting in easy pose, kneeling in hero pose or standing.

How long to hold it

Hold for 20–30 seconds on each side, and repeat the harder side a second time. Most people find one side clearly tighter; that is normal and a good reason to practise both.

Cow face pose benefits (Gomukhasana ke fayde)

What is cow face pose good for? First, the shoulders. The arm position stretches the triceps, the front and back of the shoulder, and the chest, which helps counter the rounded shoulders of desk and phone work. That is why a gentle, strap-supported version appears in our plans for frozen shoulder and neck pain — always within a pain-free range.

Second, the hips. Stacked knees stretch the outer hip and gluteal muscles, including the piriformis, areas that stiffen from long sitting. People with tight hips often feel it strongly here.

Is Gomukhasana good for back pain? Loosening tight hips and sitting tall can make the lower back feel easier for some people, but it is not a treatment for back pain; stop if it causes pain. Gomukhasana benefits for digestion and weight loss are mostly traditional claims — the pose opens the chest and encourages fuller breathing, but it does not burn much energy.

What muscles does cow face pose stretch?

The back muscles work gently to keep you upright, so the pose also trains posture.

Cow face pose for beginners: props and modifications

• Cow face pose with a strap: hang a strap from the top hand and catch it with the bottom hand.
• Cow face pose with blocks: sit on a block or blanket so the knees can stack without strain.
• Easy cow face pose: keep the bottom leg straight, or sit cross-legged and do the arms only.
• Chair yoga version: sit on a chair, cross one thigh over the other, and add the arms. See chair yoga.

Is cow face pose hard? The full version is moderately hard because it needs open hips and shoulders together. Why can't I do cow face pose? Usually tight outer hips stop the knees stacking, or stiff shoulders stop the hands meeting. Props solve both, and regular practice slowly does the rest.

Cow face pose variations

• Forward fold: with the legs stacked, hinge forward over the knees for a deeper hip stretch.
• Cow face pose twist: turn the chest toward the top knee, one hand behind you.
• Reclined cow face pose (Supta Gomukhasana): lie on your back, cross one thigh over the other and hold your feet. Gentle on the knees and good for tired evenings.
• Cow face pose with eagle arms: swap the arm clasp for the wrapped arms of eagle pose if your shoulders prefer it.

Cow face pose vs shoelace and other hip openers

Shoelace is the yin yoga name for the same leg shape, held for 3–5 minutes with a relaxed forward fold and no arm clasp. Compared with pigeon pose, cow face stretches the outer hips of both legs at once while you sit upright. Garudasana vs Gomukhasana: both stretch the shoulders, but eagle pose is a standing balance and wraps the limbs around each other.

Gomukhasana contraindications and precautions

Check the caution box before you start. The main risks are forcing the hands together behind the back and grinding the knees into a stack they are not ready for. Sharp pain in the shoulder, knee or hip means come out and use a prop. After a hip replacement, many surgeons restrict crossing the legs, so ask first.

A short cow face pose sequence

Warm up with shoulder rolls and eagle arms, then sit in easy pose. Practise cow face pose on both sides, then release with a seated twist and sit in staff pose with the legs straight. The guided sessions include shoulder and hip routines you can follow with the voice guide.

Health conditions this pose is used for

Yoga for neck pain and cervical spondylosis · Yoga for frozen shoulder · Yoga for desk workers and sitting all day · Yoga for shoulder pain · Yoga for tennis elbow · Yoga for carpal tunnel syndrome

Where this practice is used

Chakras: Anahata (Heart Chakra)

This page is for general education. Check with your doctor before starting yoga if you are pregnant, have a medical condition or an injury. Stop if you feel pain, dizziness or shortness of breath.