How To Do the Cow Face Pose

  • December 10, 2007
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joekulak from Joe Kulak (and 10 others)

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Don’t take the name of this position personally—it’s called the Cow Face pose because, when seen from the front, the outline of the body is thought to resemble the broad mouth and narrow head of a cow. Honest.

You Will Need

  • Comfortable clothing suitable for stretching and moving
  • A calm place where you won't be distracted or disturbed
  • A yoga mat or folded blanket
  • A small towel
  • A strap or belt
How To Do the Cow Face Pose: Sit on mat

Step 1: Sit on mat

Sit on your mat with your legs stretched straight out in front of you.

How To Do the Cow Face Pose: Slide leg under

Step 2: Slide leg under

Bend your knees, drawing your feet up closer to your body, and slide your right leg under your left leg, bringing your right foot back to your left hip.

How To Do the Cow Face Pose: Stack knees

Step 3: Stack knees

Draw your left foot to your right hip, stacking your left knee directly on top of your right knee. Your heels should each be an equal distance from your hips.

A variation on this pose advises tucking your feet under your butt rather than leaving them next to your hips.

How To Do the Cow Face Pose: Reach behind

Step 4: Reach behind

Raise your left arm into the air, bending it down at the elbow as you reach behind your head down along your back. Simultaneously reach behind you with your right arm and bend it up at the elbow, so that your right forearm runs up along your spine and the back of your right hand rests between your shoulder blades.

How To Do the Cow Face Pose: Interlock fingers

Step 5: Interlock fingers

Interlock the fingers of your left hand with the fingers of your right.

Don’t overstretch—if you can’t get your hands to meet behind your back, hold a strap or belt in your left hand and grip it with your right.

How To Do the Cow Face Pose: Breathe naturally

Step 6: Breathe naturally

Breathe naturally in this upright posture.

How To Do the Cow Face Pose: Bend forward

Step 7: Bend forward

Bend forward, bringing your chest down toward your knees. This will deepen the stretch in your hips and shoulders.

How To Do the Cow Face Pose: Breathe & hold

Step 8: Breathe & hold

Breathe smoothly and evenly while holding the pose for as long as you’re comfortable.

How To Do the Cow Face Pose: Release pose

Step 9: Release pose

Release the pose by raising your chest back up, ungrasping your hands, and unbending your knees.

How To Do the Cow Face Pose: Repeat pose

Step 10: Repeat pose

Repeat the pose on the other side, with your right knee on top of your left and your left arm reaching up behind your back and right arm down behind your head.

How To Do the Cow Face Pose: Release pose

Step 11: Release pose

Release the pose by raising your chest back up, ungrasping your hands, and unbending your knees. Good work, Cow Face.

Hinduism holds the cow in sacred esteem for its gentle nature and nurturing qualities, symbolic of the earth’s abundance.

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