Gomukhasana

Gomukhasana- Cow Face Pose
A seated pose in the Virasana family, with legs crossed, one arm up and one arm down, hands clasped behind the back.

When teaching, allot 2 minutes to demo the pose, and 3 minutes for the students to be in the pose. 

Poses to help us learn Gomukhasana:

• Urdhva Baddangullyasana
• Namaskarasana
• Gomukhasana Hasta Mudra in Tadasana
• Paschima Namaskarasana
• Adho Mukha Svanasana
• Bharadvajasana
• Virasana
• Vajrasana
• Simhasana

Instructions for Gomukhasana:

1. Kneel on both knees.  Keep your toes pointing straight back, ankles straight not sickled, and tuck your Left knee well behind your Right knee.  (R leg is on top first)
2. Bring your ankles and your heels together, and sit on the ankles, keeping the toes pointing back. 
3. Press the shins down to stabilize the legs, and lengthen your waist up.
4. Raise your Left arm overhead, and keeping your tricep rolling from the outside in, bend your arm at the elbow.  Place your Left palm at the base of the neck between your upper shoulder blades. (Left arm is on top first)
5. Suck your shoulder blades into the ribs to lift and open the chest. Broaden through your collarbones, and keep the chest open as you lower the Right arm, bend it at the elbow and raise the right forearm up behind the back.
6. Clasp your hands together behind your back.
7. Press your shins down as you take the front waist to the back waist to lengthen the side-waist, suck the shoulder blades in to lift the chest, and open your armpits.  Make the torso erect.
8. With the Right leg on top first, the Right hip and sit bone will be up.  Rather than try to descend the Right hip, ascend the Left sit bone, as though you could suck it up inside your body. Make the hips more level.
9. Release the arms, then bring the hands to floor in front of you to untuck your Left knee from behind your right.
10. Repeat with the opposite crossing of the legs, and opposite placement of the arms.

Modifications:

• If the hands do not yet reach each other, hold a strap between the two hands.
• If the knees pain you, place a folded blanket between the heels and the hips to lessen the degree of flexion in the knee joint.  
• If the knees are in pain, put a rope behind the knees to create space.