Introduction:

According to scholars, Yoga’s roots have possibly been identified back to the Stone Age. The Vedas have
evidence of Vedic Yoga, that contain the oldest yoga teachings followed by the pre-classical period
teachings. The pre-classical period was the time when Bhagvad Gita and Upanishads were introduced.
The third period is the classical period, when Patanjali, a renowned Hindu scholar and yoga teacher,
introduced “yoga sutras”. These Yoga sutras assisted people to practise more defined and classical yoga.
The last period is post-classical yoga or modern yoga.

Modern yoga came into existence when yogis put efforts to spread Eastern Hindu philosophy in the west,
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.1 Modern yoga has significant commercial potential
and has become the fashion statement for the upper middle class.

However, ancient yoga is the art of harmonising body, mind and soul which nourishes and tones the
entire body. Various asanas in yoga are involved in improving flexibility and boosting immunity. One such
asana is gomukhasana, a seated yoga posture, that stretches the entire body to make it more flexible.

What is Gomukhasana?

Gomukhasana is a combination of three words i.e., go-mukh-asana where “go” refers to cow, “mukh”
refers to face and “asana” refers to pose. The folded legs form the shape of a cow’s mouth while the
elbows resemble a cow’s ears. Therefore, it is commonly referred to as the cow-face pose.
The Gheranda Samhita (Sanskrit text of yoga) and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (15th-century yoga manual in
Sanskrit), both mentions Gomukhasana (Cow-Face Pose).

Gomukhasana is a perfect position for people who spend most of their workweek sitting down. Cow face
pose helps in expanding your hips and chest and overcoming the slouch many people acquire while they
are sitting. It is a stabilizing and relaxing posture. This posture allows you to stretch your arms, shoulders,
back, thighs and ankles. It is a hip-opening posture with legs being together unlike other postures that
help in correcting the posture and adjusting the flexibility of one’s body.5 Gomukhasana is simple to
perform and relaxes the superficial as well as the deep muscles, which play a crucial role in lower back
pain.

There are variations of gomukhasana which use the Cow Face Pose as the base. Although yet to be
researched, the variations involve practising cow pose in half and full variations, forward bending, etc.

Gomukhasana or cow-face pose can be performed in the morning as one is mentally fresh and empty
stomach. As you practise, make a few minor adjustments to the posture to make it more comfortable for
you before stepping up the difficulty.

Modifications of cow-face pose involve using props to make it more enjoyable. Some of them are:

Using block: Sit on a block or blanket to provide your legs more room to adjust and to assist in
neutralizing the alignment of your lower back.

Using belt or strap: To make gomukhasana easier for those who find it difficult to grasp hands at the
back, using strap or belt in the beginning can help you eventually master the pose.

How to do it?

Cow-face pose must be done using proper techniques to obtain maximum benefits in flexibility and
strength. Before entering the gomukhasana, some of the preparatory poses like Baddha Konasana
(Bound Angle Pose), Garudasana (Eagle Pose), Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose), can
be performed to warm up the body.

The steps to do the cow-face yoga pose are as follows:

Start with dandasana or staff pose with your legs parallel to the ground and your upper body in a vertical
position.

Cross your legs like padmasana, for a start.

Keep the right knee above the left knee in a line.

Slide your right heel to the side of your left hip.

Similarly, bring your left heel to the side of your right hip. Stack knees on one another and press down to
sit.

Elongate your spine, lifting out the lower back.

Inhale and bring your right arm in the vertical position towards the ceiling.

Exhale and bend your elbow facing upwards and bring the right hand to the back.
Take the help of your left hand to align the right elbow in the middle.

Lift the left arm to the left side, and gently bend your elbow facing towards the ground with your left
hand touching the center of the back.

Try to hold your hands together and clasp the fingers if possible.

Use strap or belt as a prop if it is difficult to hold the hands.

Keep your spine in a vertical position and do not allow your head to bend forward.

Hold the position for 2 minutes at least.

Exit the pose slowly by bringing both hands sideways and returning to dandasana.

Repeat the steps with the left knee above the right knee and the left arm above the shoulders.

Do You Know?

It is interesting to know that gomukhasana is one of the 84 hatha yoga asanas handpicked by lord Shiva.
According to the 17th-century Haṭharatnāvalī, a Sanskrit book on asanas written by Srinivasa, Lord Shiva
taught gomukhasana along with 83 other asanas to humans to introduce physical health and well-being.

Gheraṇḍa-saṃhitā, a Sanskrit encyclopaedia, mentions gomukhasana as one of the important 32 asanas

among 84 lakhs asanas mentioned by Lord Shiva. This text describes these 32 asanas as enough if
practised in this mortal world.

Benefits of Gomukhasana :

Gomukhasana offers several benefits to the physical and mental health of an individual. Some of them
are:

1. Benefits of Gomukhasana in Diabetes Management :

Ali et al. 2021, mentioned that diabetic patients (increased glucose level) practised gomukhasana during
a session. Ali observed the decrease in glucose levels and increase in insulin levels. The stimulation of
kidneys may also help in the management of diabetes.

2. Benefits of Gomukhasana in Sciatica :

Dr. Ravindra et al. 2018, evaluated the effect of gomukhasana in management of gurdhasi (sciatica nerve
pain), in patients with complaints of sciatica nerve pain. His team concluded that cow-face yoga may
help relieve the pain from muscles and joints involved in sciatica. They also revealed that post- treatment
with gomukhasana, there were no recurrences.

3. Benefits of Gomukhasana in Non-Alcoholic fatty liver disease :

Kumar, P.A., et al., 2021 presented a case study to evaluate the role of yoga including gomukhasana in
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients without medication. This study showed that asanas including
gomukhasana are beneficial when practised for 20 minutes daily. It may also help in reducing blood
sugar, blood lipids and elevated lipid enzymes.

4. Benefits of Gomukhasana in relieving tension :

Gomukhasana may help in persuading relaxation. It may help in easing tiredness, tension and anxiety if
practised for more than 10 minutes daily. It may also help in calming and centering the body.

5. Benefits of Gomukhasana in improving posture :

Gomukhasana or cow-face pose may counteract the slouch, especially faced by individuals working on
computers for the major part of the week.5 It may decrease the general stiffness in the arms and
shoulder and can also help in correcting posture by opening thoe chest area.

6. Other benefits of Gomukhasana:

It may help in relieving backache as it stretches back muscles to relieve tiredness.

It may help in easing leg cramps as this posture helps in stretching hamstring and gluteal muscles making
legs feel relaxed.

It may increase flexibility of the body as it stretches shoulders, upper arms, chest, hips and thighs.

It may help in elongating the spine as the whole body is stretched allowing good flow of oxygen from
base of the spine to the head. Stretching in gomukhasana decongests the entire abdominal region which
massages the kidney, liver and pancreas.

Risks of Exercise:

There are several contraindications and risks to be considered while performing Gomukhasana.

Those with injuries in the hips, arms, and shoulders should avoid doing cow face yoga.

Avoid this asana in case of knee injury or modify the pose by straightening the legs or simply crossing the
legs like sukhasana.

Avoid gomukhasana in case of tissue, ligament and tendon injury.

Do not perform cow face yoga if you have bleeding piles as it may exaggerate the problem.

Gomukhasana should be performed carefully using props like strap or belt if you are suffering from
spondylitis, as it can help in decreasing extra strain on neck during stretching.

Conclusion:

Gomukhasana is one of the easiest forms of stretching yoga which helps in rejuvenating and relaxing the
whole body. It helps in relieving the pain by relaxing the deep muscles. The cow-face pose allows you to
explore different symmetries of the body. Beginners can use modifications like blankets or blocks to
achieve more flexibility and stability. Conclusively, asanas or postures can be of potential benefit in many
chronic conditions that persist despite pharmacotherapy.

Bibliography:

Sources are :

https://pharmeasy.in

www.google.com

worldyogaforum.com