Posture of the month: Gomukhasana
Image by @bestlifemia
Get your cow face on
In April, we will practice a seated hip opener, who doubles as a heart opener: Gomukhasana. In Sanskrit, Gomukhasana translates as 'Cow Face Pose' (from go: cow, mukha: face, and asana: posture/seat).
Gomukhasana is an ancient posture from the Hatha yoga tradition, that has been described in ancient yoga literature as early as 2000 years ago. Across most parts of India and Nepal, in most Buddhist and Hindu traditions, the cow is seen as a sacred animal that may not be harmed or slaughtered, since it is freely giving its milk and other gifts to nourish and sustain its owners. Read on to find out more about why cows play such an important role in spiritual culture, and how Gomukhasana will benefit you if you practice it regularly.
Benefits of practicing Gomukhasana
The Cow Face Pose has multiple variations, especially when it comes to the way your hands and arms are positioned. The below benefits refer to the original posture, where the hands are joined behind the back, which makes for an upright spine and opens the chest.
Image credit: @octoyoga
Strengthens your back and chest, which releases tightness from your shoulders and can thereby alleviate conditions like stiff shoulders and frozen arms
In this upright position, your spine is being lengthened, which releases the cervical spine and can prevent pain, especially if you work in a seated position all day
Gives mobility to the joints in your arms and legs, and rotates your hips externally, which has a hip opening effect and can help relieve sciatica
Stretches your shoulders, arms, armpits, hips, ankles, thighs and chest, and thereby gives flexibility and strength to all your limbs
Improves your general posture by putting your spine into an upright position.
As a chest and heart opener, it increases blood circulation in your body and increases the flow of oxygen to your organs
Activates your digestive system
Stimulates and enhances renal activity (= kidney function) and activates the urinary bladder
Activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System which leads to relaxation and inner peace. It is therefore a great meditation posture.
Activates muladhara, swadisthana and anahata chakras
Why is the cow considered a sacred animal?
If you have ever visited India, you will have inevitably had at least one ‘sacred cow moment’: your driver stops, you wonder what happened, and as you have a peek outside, you spot a cow, sprawled out across the street, peacefully gazing back at the motorists… Welcome to the land of go mata, the sacred mother cow.
Unlike many people believe, cows aren’t worshipped as deities. But they are being revered as givers of life (e.g. in the earth goddess Prithvi who was born in the form of a cow) and providers of plenty (e.g. sage Vasishta’s divine cow Kamadhenu, who managed to feed the whole army of king Vishwamitra, who later turned into a famous sage himself). Krishna himself, who as an incarnation of Vishnu is worshipped as Supreme Personality of Godhead, took birth as a humble cowherd boy, in order to be able to live amongst cows and calves and experience countless joyous pastimes.
Credit: Hindublog.com
So what is it that makes cows so special?
There are many answers to this question, so let’s list a few, in no particular order:
They are incredibly peaceful, and being in their presence is calming and nurturing and slows you right down. Spending time hugging a cow, for example at The Krishna Farm in Northern NSW, is brilliant for your mental health, as it releases a great amount of oxytocin in a natural way.
The cow epitomises sattva guna, the mode of goodness - it gives so much more than it receives. It provides live-giving milk and from that, ghee and curd, without expecting anything in return and has no envy or aggression. Watch the affection with which a mother cow treats her calf and you will see that they why they are called the mother of mothers.
Even the cow’s excrements are useful. Cow urine, for example, is said to have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and antioxidant properties. In Ayurvedic medicine is used to treat ailments such as diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, eczema and more. Cow dung is much the same and used not only as fertiliser in the fields, but also mixed in with building materials e.g. for traditional Indian flooring, and cow patties are used as cheap heating materials.
The oxen is helpful in the fields, pulling the plough and oxen carts. In Western culture, unfortunately male babies of milk cows are being slaughtered right upon birth, as they are seen to be of no use. The dairy industry is a much more bloody industry than many will let on. However, in classic Vedic culture, oxen would be engaged in agricultural pursuits and be just as honoured as their female counterparts.
Are you ready to open your hips even further, and lengthen your spine? Then come along in April and practice with us! There are over 25 classes/week, and we will practice Gomukhasana daily during all of April 2022!
This month, we want to acknowledge Dr Raghuram Y.S. & Dr Manasa from easyayurveda.com for sharing the benefits of Gomukhasana on their blog