How long should you hold cow face pose, and on both sides?

Hold 30 to 45 seconds per side, always doing both, since most people find one hip and one shoulder noticeably tighter than the other. Add a few extra breaths on the tighter side rather than increasing the total hold time evenly across both.

How do you make cow face pose easier or harder?

Make it easier by sitting on a folded blanket to level the hips and holding a strap between the hands instead of forcing a clasp. Make it harder by walking the fingers closer together each session or by folding forward slightly over the stacked shins once the hips settle.

What is cow face pose good for, and when should you back off it?

It targets the outer hip and glute on one side while opening the shoulder and triceps on the other, which is useful for runners and anyone who sits with crossed legs all day. Back off the knee stack if you have hip or knee pain in a deeply bent position, since forcing the stack can load the knee ligaments more than the hip.

Intermediate

Cow Face Pose

Cow Face works two areas at once: the deeply stacked knees open the outer hips and glutes, while the arms reach behind the back, one up and one down, to clasp and stretch the triceps, shoulders, and chest. It exposes side-to-side differences in mobility, so most people find one side far tighter. Use a strap between the hands and go slowly; this is about opening, not straining.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Glutes, Shoulder
Type: Stretching, Yoga
Browse by muscle: Triceps Brachii Long Head, Deltoid Posterior, Gluteus Maximus

How to do it

1
From sitting, stack one knee directly over the other, drawing both feet toward the opposite hips.
2
Reach the top-side arm up, bend the elbow, and let the hand drop down the back.
3
Sweep the other arm behind the lower back and reach the hand up to meet the top hand.
4
Clasp the fingers if they reach, or hold a strap between them.
5
Lift the top elbow toward the ceiling and draw the lower elbow down to deepen the stretch.
6
Sit tall and breathe, then release and switch the arm and leg positions.

Tips

Use a strap between the hands rather than forcing the fingers to touch.
Keep the top elbow pointing up and the lifted arm close to the head.
Sit on a folded blanket if the stacked knees keep the hips from settling.

Variations

Common mistakes

The hips settle unevenly, with more weight sinking into one sit bone, which skews the stretch to one side of the pelvis instead of loading both hips evenly.
Leaning the torso forward to help the hands meet behind the back rounds the upper spine and trades the shoulder stretch for a slump.
Rushing straight to the arm bind before the hips settle into the stacked-knee base leaves the whole shape unstable and shallow.
The tighter side gets the shorter hold when people move on as soon as one side feels done, so the more restricted hip never catches up.
The top knee sits ahead of or behind the bottom knee rather than stacked directly over it, which opens less of the outer hip than intended.

Frequently asked

How long should you hold cow face pose, and on both sides?: Hold 30 to 45 seconds per side, always doing both, since most people find one hip and one shoulder noticeably tighter than the other. Add a few extra breaths on the tighter side rather than increasing the total hold time evenly across both.
How do you make cow face pose easier or harder?: Make it easier by sitting on a folded blanket to level the hips and holding a strap between the hands instead of forcing a clasp. Make it harder by walking the fingers closer together each session or by folding forward slightly over the stacked shins once the hips settle.
What is cow face pose good for, and when should you back off it?: It targets the outer hip and glute on one side while opening the shoulder and triceps on the other, which is useful for runners and anyone who sits with crossed legs all day. Back off the knee stack if you have hip or knee pain in a deeply bent position, since forcing the stack can load the knee ligaments more than the hip.

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