Cow Face A·B · Gomukhasana A·B

Gomukhasana A·B · 고무카사나 · 소 얼굴 자세

Intermediate Series · Nadi Shodhana (Nerve Cleansing) — Leg-Behind-Head & Arm Balances

Breath: 5×2 · Drishti (gaze): nose · up

Stack the knees, feet beside the hips, and clasp the hands behind the back, one arm from above, one from below. A folds the hands over the knee; B opens the chest inside the clasp — the shoulders' two rotations shown side by side with great clarity.

Alignment

Hands — the top arm over the shoulder, the lower arm up the back, fingers hooking between the blades
Feet — placed symmetrically beside the hips, sitting between (or on) them
Knees — stacked exactly on the midline
Gaze — the nose tip (upward in B), the elbows on one vertical line

Entering the pose

Stack the knees one over the other
One arm from above, one from below
Clasp behind, open the chest

Common mistakes

Flaring the ribs to fake the clasp
The top elbow crushing the head

Modifications & props

Hands that miss behind the back hold a dangling towel — the years will shorten it.
If the stacked knees hurt, extend the lower leg forward; the top leg alone still opens the outer hip.
Tilting sit bones ask for a blanket seat — half this pose is simply sitting level.

Benefits

Stretches both rotations of the shoulder at once
The stacked legs open the outer hips deeply
Reveals left–right differences with great clarity

Role in the sequence

Knees stacked, hands clasped behind the back — a closing pose where upper and lower body wind in opposite directions. The behind-the-back clasp irons out the front-back imbalance of shoulders worn by a series of binds and balances, while the stacked knees open the outer hip's deep tissue. Through this cow-faced shape, Intermediate tidies itself before its terminus: the seven headstands.

Practice notes

Gomukha means cow's face. The stacked knees are said to make the muzzle and the two elbows, spread wide, the ears. A clasps the hands behind the back; B folds forward from there.

What makes this pose hard is that it exposes left-right asymmetry directly. For most people the hands meet easily on one side and are nowhere near on the other. There is no need to erase that difference, but knowing which side is further starts to reveal the postural habits you carry outside practice too.

When the hands do not meet, use a strap or a towel — and rather than hauling the upper hand down, put your attention into hooking the lower hand up. Pulling from above tightens the neck and shoulder together. If the knees will not stack, sit on a folded blanket to raise the pelvis.

Two checks: are both sitting bones evenly on the floor (the body likes to tilt toward the upper knee), and is the lower belly engaged so the front ribs do not push forward? Arching the lower back while fishing for the hands behind you is the most common compensation.

A strap bridges hands that don't meet.

Written by Choi Seongjin — 20 years of Ashtanga practice, currently teaching three classes a week. Last updated: 2026-09-05.

This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, injured, or have a medical condition, consult a qualified teacher or physician before practising. Disclaimer & Legal Notice

Other poses in this sequence

Ashtanga Shala — Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga guide · Blog