Cow Face Pose
What Is the Cow Face Pose?
Cow Face Pose is a compound exercise that primarily targets the glutes and shoulders, and also lengthens the triceps and lats. It is an intermediate-level movement, because it asks for a lot of hip and shoulder range in the same hold. Known in yoga as Gomukhasana, it is done seated on the floor with one knee stacked over the other while the hands reach toward each other behind the back, and it is held for time rather than lifted.
The two halves of the pose do different jobs. In the legs, each thigh crosses the midline while the hip is bent and turned out, which stretches the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius along the outside of the hip, the same region that Pigeon Pose and Double Pigeon Pose reach from other angles. In the arms, the top arm reaches overhead with the elbow bent, lengthening the long head of the triceps and the lats, while the bottom arm turns inward behind the back and stretches the rotator cuff muscles on the back of the shoulder, mainly the infraspinatus and teres minor.
Because it covers the hips and both shoulders at once, Cow Face Pose fits well in a cooldown or a mobility session. It suits people who feel stiff through the outer hips after long periods of sitting, and lifters who want easier overhead and behind-the-back shoulder positions. The arm position is the same one used in the Back Scratch test from the Senior Fitness Test, where the gap between the fingertips behind the back is measured as a check of shoulder flexibility, and it is normal for one side to reach noticeably further than the other.
Most people get more from the pose after working each half on its own. Seated Piriformis Stretch and Lying Figure Four Stretch build the outer-hip range, and Behind the Back Towel Shoulder Stretch trains the same arm position with a towel bridging the gap between the hands. Sitting on a folded blanket and holding a strap between the hands make the full pose accessible long before the knees stack flat and the fingers meet.
Muscles Worked
- Gluteus Maximus
- Primary
- Gluteus Medius
- Primary
- Infraspinatus
- Primary
- Triceps Brachii (Long Head)
- Primary
- Latissimus Dorsi
- High
- Teres Minor
- High
- Deltoid
- Medium
- Gluteus Minimus
- Medium
Instructions
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat. Sit on a folded blanket if your hips are tight.
- Slide your left foot under your right leg and bring it to the floor beside your right hip.
- Cross your right leg over the left so the right knee stacks above the left knee, and rest your right foot on the floor beside your left hip.
- Shift your weight until both sit bones press evenly into the floor, then sit tall.
- Reach your left arm out to the side, turn the palm to face behind you, bend the elbow and slide the back of the hand up your spine toward your shoulder blades.
- Reach your right arm straight up, bend the elbow so it points to the ceiling, and lower the right hand down between your shoulder blades.
- Hook the fingers of both hands together, or hold a strap between the hands if they do not meet.
- Keep your head upright against the top arm and your lower ribs down, and breathe slowly for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Release the hands, uncross the legs and repeat with the left knee on top and the left arm overhead.
Common Mistakes
Forcing the knees to stack
Pressing the top knee down onto the bottom one when the hips are tight twists the knees instead of stretching the hips.
Sitting unevenly
Sitting on one heel or letting one sit bone lift off the floor tilts the pelvis and bends the spine sideways.
Flaring the ribs to reach the hands
Arching the lower back and pushing the ribs forward to close the gap between the hands moves the bend into the spine instead of the shoulders.
Pushing the head forward
Letting the top arm drive the head and neck forward strains the neck and takes tension out of the top arm.
Rounding the bottom shoulder forward
Rolling the bottom shoulder forward to slide the hand higher loads the front of the shoulder rather than stretching the back of it.
Injuries
Cow Face Pose is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. It uses no external load, but it takes the hips and both shoulders close to the end of their range, so the risk comes from forcing either half rather than from the pose itself.
The knees are the most common strain point. When the hips lack the rotation to let the knees stack, the twist is taken at the knee joint instead, which shows up as a pinch on the inside or outside of the knee. In the arms, pushing the bottom hand higher by rolling the shoulder forward, or pulling hard on a strap with the top hand, can irritate the front of the shoulder, and letting the top arm shove the head forward loads the neck.
Sit on a folded blanket or yoga block so the hips are above the knees, and let the top knee rest wherever it lands rather than pressing it down. If the knees still complain, keep the bottom leg straight, simply cross the shins, or build range first with Seated Piriformis Stretch. For the arms, hold a strap or towel between the hands, or work the positions separately with Behind the Back Towel Shoulder Stretch and Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch. Once the full pose is comfortable, folding the chest forward over the stacked knees deepens the hip stretch.
Stop if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the knee, ankle or shoulder, or numbness or tingling down an arm or leg. Anyone with a recent knee, hip or shoulder injury or surgery, or a known rotator cuff tear, shoulder impingement or instability, should skip the bind or clear the pose with a clinician first.
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Yoga
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Cow Face Pose
The Cow Face Pose is also known as:
- Gomukhasana
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Which arm goes on top in Cow Face Pose?
Yoga traditions pair them differently. In the version shown here, the arm on the same side as the top knee reaches overhead, and some teachers put the opposite arm up instead. Pick one and switch both the legs and the arms for the second side.
- Q: What if my hands don't meet behind my back?
Hold a strap or towel between the hands and walk them closer over time, keeping the ribs down and the head upright rather than chasing the clasp. A gap between the fingertips is common, and the pose still stretches both shoulders without the clasp.
- Q: Why does one side feel much harder than the other?
Most people have more hip or shoulder range on one side, and the pose makes that difference obvious. Hold the tighter side a little longer or repeat it once more, rather than forcing it to match the easier side.
- Q: How long should I hold Cow Face Pose?
Hold each side for 30 to 60 seconds while breathing slowly, then switch the legs and arms. One or two rounds per side at the end of a session is enough for most people.
- Q: Can I do Cow Face Pose with sore knees?
Not in the full stacked-knee position if it causes knee pain. Keep the bottom leg straight or simply cross the shins while sitting on a blanket, or do the arm bind alone while seated on a chair, and see a clinician if the knee pain persists.