Benjamin Sears guides us through a variation on Cow Face (Gomukasana), adding in a side bend.
Benefits of Cow Face
Cow Face with Side Bend decompresses the lower back, stretches the side of the body and kidneys. Mitigates adrenal fatigue. Develops awareness of pelvic positioning and improves posture for seated meditation.
Common Mistakes
Knees not together, hips off-centre and toppling to one side instead of both hips down, no internal rotation in top arm shoulder, sinking into bottom arm shoulder.
Tips
- Bring your right leg over your left until you feel a good fit between the front of your left knee and the back of your right knee. The bolt of your knees together facilitates a good fold at the hips.
It’s important that your knees are together and that your hips remain square. - Most people need to elevate their hips on a couple of blankets to make this possible. Lift your butt and stick it out. Protract and elevate the shoulder of the arm that’s in the air, which means roll your triceps towards your face and reach from your low back through fingers. This action might make your chest collapse towards the floor. Instead, inhale, lengthen your belly and telescope your ribs.
Awareness
Meditate alternately on the following front and back pelvic triangles.
- Back triangle: Sitting bones and coccyx move forwards
- Front triangle: Hip bones and public bone move backwards.
In the centre between the two is your perineum, your third foot, the foot of meditation.
Benjamin Sears (benjaminsears.yoga) is the founder of LUXYOGA Retreats in the south of France (luxyoga.com). Photo by Fernando De Haro.
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