Pose library · Gomukhasana · reviewed by a teacher
Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)
Cow Face Pose is a seated shape with the knees stacked one on top of the other and, in the full version, one hand reaching down behind the back to meet the other reaching up. Go means cow and mukha means face; the stacked knees and elbows are said to look like one. It stretches the outer hips and the shoulders.
Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana) is a seated shape with the knees stacked that stretches the outer hips and the shoulders. Sit on a blanket, stack one knee over the other, reach one hand down between the shoulder blades and the other up the spine, and stay five breaths. Hold a strap if the hands do not meet.
Pronunciation and meaning
Gomukhasana: go-moo-KAHS-uh-nuh. Go as in the English word, and the stress falls on KAHS.
Cow Face Pose is a seated shape with the knees stacked one on top of the other and, in the full version, one hand reaching down behind the back to meet the other reaching up. Go means cow and mukha means face; the stacked knees and elbows are said to look like one. It stretches the outer hips and the shoulders.
How to do Cow Face Pose
- Sit on a folded blanket. Bend your right knee and bring the right foot beside the left hip.
- Cross the left leg over the right so the left knee stacks above the right, and bring the left foot beside the right hip.
- Sit evenly on both sit bones, adding height under you if one hip lifts.
- Reach the right arm up, bend the elbow and let the hand drop between the shoulder blades.
- Reach the left arm out, bend it behind you and slide the back of the hand up the spine. Hold the fingers, or hold a strap between the hands.
- Sit tall for five breaths, release the arms, change the legs and arms and repeat.
For other poses that work the hips, open the pose finder set to the hips.
Teacher's note from Joahnna Lee
“Keep the top elbow pointing up and the head pressing back gently into the upper arm, not dropping forward.”
“The strap is not a lesser version. Holding fingers by curling the back is the lesser version.”
Make it easier
- Keep the bottom leg straight if stacking both knees is too much.
- Do only the arms, sitting on a chair or in Easy Pose.
- Yin Shoelace: the same legs, folding forward over them with the arms resting, held for three minutes.
Pregnancy and after birth
Pregnancy. Adapt. Sit high, keep the knees less stacked so the belly has room, and keep the arm stretch, which is comfortable for many. Leave out the forward fold. Check with your OB or midwife before you start.
After birth. Adapt. Once your doctor or midwife has cleared you, the arm half is a kind stretch for shoulders rounded by feeding and carrying. Add the legs on a high seat when the hips are ready.
For more on practising through pregnancy, see Joahnna Lee Yoga.
Common mistakes
- Sitting low with one hip lifted, so the lower back twists. Add a blanket.
- Arching the lower back and pushing the ribs forward to make the hands meet.
- Letting the top elbow fall forward toward the face.
Cow Face Pose has a funny name and a serious stretch. It reaches the outer hips and the shoulders at the same time, two places that often tighten together after long days of sitting.
In Yin yoga the legs are often practised as Shoelace, folded forward and held, and the arms on their own with a yoga strap.
If the knees will not stack, sitting cross-legged on a cushion for the arm stretch is a good way in.
Stacking the shins rather than the knees gives you Fire Log Pose, also called Double Pigeon. The outer hip stretch here is a step toward Compass Pose, the advanced seated stretch.
If the arm position feels out of reach, a few minutes of arm stretches beforehand makes the clasp easier.
Prep poses for Cow Face Pose
Poses that warm up the same body areas at a lower intensity, so Cow Face Pose feels steadier when you get there.
- Seated Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana) gentler work for the same area, beginner plus
- Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana) gentler work for the same area, beginner
- Garland Pose (Malasana) gentler work for the same area, beginner plus
- Easy Pose (Sukhasana) gentler work for the same area, beginner
Counter-poses for Cow Face Pose
Shapes that move the body the other way or let it rest straight after Cow Face Pose.
- Windscreen Wipers beginner
Where to go next after Cow Face Pose
These poses list Cow Face Pose as a preparation, so they are a natural next step once it feels comfortable.
Easier and harder variations of Cow Face Pose
Related poses from the same family that start from the same position and do a similar kind of work; Cow Face Pose itself is beginner plus.
- Harder: Fire Log Pose (Agnistambhasana) intermediate
- Harder: Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) intermediate
Props that help in Cow Face Pose
- Strap: extends the arms when the hands do not reach the feet or each other yet.
- Blanket: lifts the hips a little so the spine can stay tall.
- Chair: brings the floor closer, or gives a seat or a hand rest for a gentler version.
Programs and sessions that use Cow Face Pose
- The 14-day flexibility plan 1 of its 14 sessions
- The month-long yoga challenge 1 of its 30 sessions
- Sequences: slow 45-minute session and flow without wrist load
- Generated example flows: 20-minute hip flow
Sources: Mayo Clinic, Fitness program: 5 steps to get started; NCCIH (US National Institutes of Health), Yoga: Effectiveness and Safety; NHS, Exercise in pregnancy; CDC, Pregnant & Postpartum Activity: An Overview; Canadian Family Physician (Chan et al., 2014), via PubMed Central, Hot yoga and pregnancy: Fitness and hyperthermia. Last reviewed 2 October 2026.
Cow Face Pose questions
Why can't my hands touch in Cow Face Pose?
The arm length, the shape of the shoulders and how much time you spend at a desk all play a part. Use a strap or a towel between the hands, and leave the fingers to meet in their own time, or not at all.
What is the Shoelace Pose in Yin yoga?
It is the Yin name for the Cow Face legs. The knees stack in the same way, and you fold forward with the muscles relaxed and stay for a few minutes, propped as needed.
What is Cow Face Pose good for?
Cow Face Pose stretches the outer hips and the shoulders at the same time, two places that often tighten together after long days of sitting. The stacked knees work the outer hips, and the arm bind opens the front of one shoulder and the back of the other. It fits well in a slow seated practice or a Yin class.
Why is Cow Face Pose so hard?
It asks a lot of two places at once. Stacking the knees needs room in the outer hips, and the arm bind needs the shoulders to rotate in opposite directions. Arm length, the shape of your shoulders and hours at a desk all play a part. A blanket under the hips and a strap between the hands make it kinder.
How can beginners do Cow Face Pose?
Sit on a folded blanket so both sit bones rest evenly. If stacking the knees is too much, keep the bottom leg straight and cross the top leg over it. Hold a strap or towel between the hands instead of reaching for the fingers, or do only the arms on a chair. Stay five breaths, then change sides.
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