FOURTH CONNECTIVE SECTION

Gaumukhasana

COW FACE POSTURE

Drishti Nose and upward

OVERVIEW: Gaumukhasana opens the shoulders in anticipation of the concluding headstand series.

Vinyasa Count

Vinyasa Seven

Inhaling, jump through and, crossing the thighs, place the right thigh atop the left one. Now, crossing the shins, place the right foot to the left of the left foot, so that they are touching. Slowly lower down and balance on your heels, with both sit bones off the floor.

Do not mistake this posture for the one in which the Indian musicians sit for some ten hours a day — with their sit bones both touching the floor and the feet on either side. That would not provide enough challenge for somebody who is about to complete the Intermediate Series. The present posture is decidedly more difficult and it involves balancing. Here we have both feet next to each other under our sit bones. You will feel a significant stretch of the quadriceps on both sides. If the quadriceps is not stretched enough (even after being stretched in the intermediate backbends), Gaumukhasana will also be challenging for the knee joints. If this problem is present, sit every day in Supta Virasana for fifteen to twenty minutes. (See Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy, p. 57.)

Once the feet are close together, the foundation of the posture is very narrow; hence, you will need to balance. This is intended. Do not avoid it by placing your feet apart.

Reach with both hands around your right knee and interlock your fingers so that the bases of the fingers interlock, not just the fingertips. This will make the following action much more difficult. You could easily cheat, but consider one thing: Every yoga posture is a physical prayer to the Supreme Being. What sort of act do you want to offer to the Supreme Being? It should be an authentic and true offering; therefore, you are advised to perform the complete posture without cutting corners.

Lift your chest high and place your chin down on the manubrium (top part of the sternum), into Jalandhara Bandha position.²⁸ Draw the shoulder blades down the back and the lower abdomen in.

Gaumukhasana A

Look toward the nose, which connects you to Mula Bandha. At the same time, the pelvic floor is intensely stimulated by your sitting on both heels. Stay in Gaumukhasana A for five breaths and gaze toward your nose.

Vinyasa Eight

Inhaling, reach up with your right arm, flex your elbows, and place your hand on your back.

With your left hand, reach behind your back and up between your shoulder blades and interlock with your right hand.

If your shoulders are very flexible, you can grab one or both wrists instead.

Bring your torso upright and draw your right elbow far back. Look up and draw your shoulder blades down your back. Hold Gaumukhasana B for five breaths and look upward.

ACTIVE RELEASE TECHNIQUE: Draw your right elbow forward, engaging the pectoralis major muscle. Pulling the right hand down the back using your left arm will deepen the stretch.

WARM-UP AND RESEARCH POSTURE: If you cannot interlock your hands at all, do one or both of the following exercises outside of your practice:

1. Stand in front of a table or chair and fold forward so that your elbows rest on the edge in front of you and place your hands together in prayer position. Let your chest sink down toward the floor and feel the stretch in your shoulder joints.

2. Sit or stand upright and raise your right arm to your limit with your elbow flexed. With your left hand press your right elbow further back beyond your head.

Gaumukhasana B

PREPARING THE SHOULDERS FOR GAUMUKHASANA

Gaumukhasana promotes the complete flexion of the humerus. It particularly stretches the triceps muscle, which may have become shortened from the many repetitions of lowering down intoChaturanga Dandasana. The triceps perform elbow extension. They work eccentrically when entering Chaturanga Dandasana and concentrically on exiting the posture. If the triceps are tight, you will find the arm position of Gaumukhasana difficult. When performing Virabhadrasana A and Utkatasana, put more emphasis on drawing your hands back beyond the crown or even back of your head and thus out of view. Complete flexion of the humerus is also improved by drawing your sternum toward and over the imagined line going through both wrists when performing Urdhva Dhanurasana (backbending). Another way of opening the shoulders is to draw the chest down to the floor in Downward Dog. However, this action should be performed only by students with relatively stiff shoulders or high muscle tone. In a flexible student, the action would lead to collapsing behind the heart. If in doubt, let a qualified teacher assess the situation.

Shoulder warm-up 1

Shoulder warm-up 2

Vinyasa Nine

Exhaling, release your arms and place your hands down.

Vinyasa Ten

Inhaling, lift up into Lollasana.

Vinyasa Eleven

Exhaling, glide back into Chaturanga Dandasana.

Vinyasa Twelve

Inhaling, move into Upward Dog.

Vinyasa Thirteen

Exhaling, move into Downward Dog.

Vinyasas Fourteen to Twenty

Repeat Gaumukhasana on the left side.